Rebirth of the Two Sons
by juubiwriter99
Summary: The two sons, Asura and Indra, forever locked in combat. Both have been reborn in new incarnations to carry on their will, shall these boys be enemies or will they be brothers, will they continue the cycle of hatred their ancestors created or bring about a peace their forefathers could not as the tiger and the dragon. Dual Kekki-genkai Naruto Senju, NaruHarem. no yaoi
1. Cycle

**Rebirth of the Two Sons**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Cycle**

Long ago in a time forgotten by the people of the world, was an era of enduring rage and unending wars.

Mankind had been embroiled with each other in eternal wars, fought over petty reasons or for performing horrific crimes against one another, sometimes trying to better themselves by weakening their enemies so their military might would be greater, only for a greater force to overwhelm them later on, or for no reason at all than just violence and death.

Some even lived to fight on battlefields, take lives and ruin many.

Humanity, had a curse, a sickening and infectious curse that all beings were infected with, a curse that only a few were able to see, one more powerful than any war, this curse is known as 'hatred'. A powerful force that could drive any person from the innocent bystander to a rage fuelled beast that would hunt down those who wronged them, inflicting more pain and brutality, effectively spreading the curse to others.

Hatred was like a chain, it will be linked to more and more people to those who are directly affected by it and others who merely beheld witness to it's outbursts of rage, the chain would grow and and be linked to more chains, connecting more people to the other.

No one was ever safe from hatred. Hatred was genetic and would be passed down to others just as if you gave a child a toy to play with, just as hatred toys with peoples lives.

But what came after hatred? Well most would say healing, healing from the pain of their lives and the pain they wrought on others. Only fools would believe that healing would bring about an end to hatred, what came after hatred were either of two things. Emptiness, where a person would lose everything that was dear to them or will ever be dear to them, possibly even losing one's own self, their identities and the qualities that made them special, emptiness was a like a snuffed flame, with nothing to fuel it. Or even more hatred, where the anger would blind those to the truth and accept that the world itself was responsible for what happened to them.

Both paths were equally as punishing as the other.

Among the humans and their inherited hatred was a tree. A tree of massive scale and equally massive power, a tree that was worshipped as a god and feared as a titan. This tree had a consciousness of it's own, but very few would know the full extent of it's intellect. This tree watched as the humans around it fought each other, murdered and cheated one another for their own gain, while turning a blind eye to others who were less fortunate.

The tree knew that while humanity had the capacity for both good and evil, they overwhelmingly chose the latter option, evil. The Tree would sometimes look down upon humanity and be disgusted at what it saw but sometimes it would take pity on them for their short lives and weakness, however it didn't know whether or not that it liked being praised as a god or feared like a titan. But it did tolerate the level of respect the humans would show it.

Even the tree with all it's foresight knew that one day, wisdom would be lost, hope would diminish, fate be turned in different directions, valour shall be crushed and justice would fall. It was merely waiting for that to happen, and for humanity to be entirely consumed by hatred.

One day the holy tree, bore a fruit of immeasurable power and destruction, a fruit that held it's own power within it. Although the reason why hands were not suppose to lay themselves on the fruit had been lost to the ages, a princess who travelled from a far away place, a place that had also been forgotten beheld witness to the hatred and wars conflicting in the world, took it upon herself to end the spreading wars and the hatred that followed them.

She knew of one way to end the wars single handedly and bring about an end to hatred.

Consuming the fruit of the Shinju.

Not knowing of the consequences or not caring for them at the time, she ate the fruit of the tree and gained it's glorious power and the might that came with it.

With new and unreachable power at her disposal, the princess laid siege to the world, using the power as a weapon to silence the lives of those who would spread hatred and bring about more wars. But instead of ending wars peacefully she opted for a more forceful method, one which would make anyone submit to her will and be slaves to her visual prowess.

The Princess's name was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and for her benevolence for ending the wars and stopping the spread of hatred was she named the Usagi no Megami (Rabbit Goddess) because of her two horn like protrusions which resembled rabbit ears.

Like the Shinju, Kaguya was also worshipped as a living god on earth, people bowed before her in respect and reverence for her power and divine will that many considered to have no equal. However, Kaguya, had not broken the chain of hatred and instead, merely fractured it, where it could be repaired and through time her deeds were not enough for war and anger, jealousy and a lust for power, sprouting and boiling within the hearts of men.

So she forced more and more people to submit to her iron will to stop the hatred from spreading, but her power which was once praised was now feared and instead of being called the Usagi no Megami she was instead the Oni (demon).

At some point Kaguya would give birth to two sons, both of which were born with the same power as her own. These two boys would gain legendary power of their own through the use of their inherit power.

However, the tree from which it's fruit was consumed had also fallen under humanities curse. Angered and outraged at the arrogant theft of it's power the tree's surfacing fiery hatred had appeared before Kaguya's own magnificent eyes before she even knew the consequences of her actions.

The tree underwent a metamorphosis of it's own, transforming into a vile creature who's image mirrored that of it's rage. A beast that was christened, the Jūbi (ten tails), for it's ten massive tails which could split the land in half.

The beast rampaged across the land hoping to retrieve it's lost power, and to seek vengeance upon Kaguya for her arrogant acts.

All the world felt the might of it's hatred and it's howl seeped into the very souls of those who lived in the world, both men and beasts cowered before it, pleading for mercy where they would receive none.

The two sons of Kaguya, in an attempt to repent for their mother's sins, faced the beast in combat.

The two brothers fought in a cataclysmic battle that scarred the earth forever, the two sons with all their power had fought to the near end of their will to defeat the beast and bring about forgiveness for their mother. But eventually the two struck down the beast in a mighty fashion.

However, the Jūbi, was connected to the world, just as the world was connected to it, it was basically immortal, so if they couldn't kill the beast, then the creature must be sealed within a person's body so to not bring about even more catastrophe.

The older son by the name of Hagoromo, became the beast's jail and housed the animal within him. And like his mother before him, his own power soured to new heights upon becoming the jailor of the Jūbi, he like his mother became a god, one even more worshipped than his mother, wielding the the greatest weapon in the world. Chakra.

Hagoromo would later call this mysterious power, chakra. And unlike his mother who weaponised chakra, Hagoromo wished to use his inherit chakra to bring about a more peaceful solution to the world.

Hagoromo who was a monk, later became known as a saviour and would later be universally called the Sage of the Six Paths. Created a religion, one which people would aspire to and believe in, give them hope and bring about a peace. This was religion was named Ninshū (shinobi sect), Hagoromo distributed his chakra to people giving them the same gifts. People would connect the chakra with their spiritual energies allowing others to understand each other and pray for each others safety while wishing them a good life.

However, this had the unintended effect of the people abusing the power they were given and weaponised it to suit their own needs, by connecting chakra with their physical energies and so many wars were started again and again, but instead using chakra to wage them.

Hagoromo would later on bear two sons would also inherit his same chakra and his own gifts. While his younger (fraternal) twin brother, Hamura would bear two daughters each inheriting the same powers as their father.

Hagoromo named his older son, Indra, and his younger son, Asura. Hamura named his older daughter, Surya, and his younger daughter, Mitra.

And as the Sage and his brother noted, the older son of Hagoromo was born with his 'eyes' spiritual energy and chakra along with a unique Dōjutsu, the devolved version of Hagoromo's own Dōjutsu, which would later be called the Sharingan. While the younger son was born with his 'body' his lifeforce and physical energy and an amazingly powerful stamina and endurance and a inherent aptitude at senjutsu. The older daughter of Hamura was born with her father's 'perception' his fine chakra and control along with the Dōjutsu known as the Byakugan. While the younger daughter was born with her father's 'structure' the ability to manipulate her bones to the highest defence or offence to create new and unseen ways of strength and combat.

However the difference between their respective talents were extreme. Indra, born with the 'eyes' was hailed a genius, a prodigy who could accomplish anything with little to no effort, who would later grow up living a solitary life, believing that people would merely inhibit his growth and potential. While Asura born with the 'body', did not inherit any of his father's or brother's natural talents, Asura could do nothing on his own, but through his determination and will along with the ideals of relying on others, his friends, did Asura's talents bloom like a flower in Spring did he eventually gain power equal to that of his brother's.

While unlike Indra who lead a solitary life, believing that people would only hinder him, Asura became a capable leader, amassing many loyal follower's most of whom were his childhood friends and like his father had wished, began to spread Ninshū to the world through the help of his friends.

Upon his deathbed seeing both Indra's and Asura's accomplishments did the Sage choose between the two of them, the heir of Ninshū. The candidates. The prodigious and brilliant, Indra. Or the no-good, untalented Asura.

Knowing of his younger son's exploits and the quality of never giving up on the good inside people, gave Hagoromo hope that the quality known as 'cooperation' and love would bring about true peace, while the lust of power and dominance would only bring about a temporary peace through fear made Hagoromo choose Asura, as the heir to Ninshū.

Furious over his father's choice and being denied what he felt was his, Indra challenged his father's decision, overcome with anger, jealousy and hate did Indra attack Asura, trying to claim what he felt was his birthright.

This feud between the two brothers would escalate between their respective families, causing a cold war between the two families that would continue on, never ending through the generations, endless bitter hatred.

Indra's descendants would take on the name of Uchiha. The flames of their hatred continuously burning.

While Asura's descendants would later be called the Senju clan, inheriting their forefather's ideals of peaceful coexistence and love. And through distant relations the Uzumaki clan would also become descendants of Asura.

However, something occurred that had not been seen before in the world, something not even Hagoromo or Kaguya had foreseen, when the two brothers died their natural chakra remained even after their bodies were destroyed. Causing the two brothers to reincarnate themselves into various individuals throughout history within their descendants, fuelling and continuing the brothers bloody battle. And with each transmigration, the reincarnations would grow stronger.

And like the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of death, transmigration and reincarnation would continue and the son's would reincarnate themselves into their newest lives. Both brother's existing and never truly dying, like Yin and Yang, one cannot exist without the other.

* * *

In the Land of Fire, a country known for it's large forests and bright and warm weather, even in winter, the sun seemed to shine endlessly in the Land of Fire the warmth it would radiate filling every crevice of shadow within a person.

The birds were chirping happily and the animals of the forests were enjoying their peaceful existence among the forests and trees.

The brisk air of summer was saturating the atmosphere, creating a serene scene and utter serenity. It was almost as if nothing could ruin this moment. However.

Massive black sphere's expanded from no where, destroying everything that was caught within their presence and shaking the earth to it's very core that earthquakes rocked the ground and mountains were crumbling as if they were made of pebbles.

Birds were fleeing and animals were running from the devastation trying to save their own lives so they wouldn't be collateral damage. Their cries were so loud you could hear them miles away, terror seemed to have stricken their hearts and their natural instincts were taking over. Anyone who had a mind would be rightly fleeing the area, for two gods were locked in battle and they were scarring the very land they were walking upon.

These gods were two men, they grew up together, fought together, laughed together and were involved in a wide array of mischievous activities, they were brothers, best friends, they shared everything with each other. But now, they were enemies, fighting over something that was now meaningless. Their powers were beyond human comprehension, their chakra itself could shatter the ground by simply lifting a finger. Both were everything that anybody could aspire to be, gods, no they were far above gods, they were beings that could sit atop the sky and bathe themselves in their respective light.

One of the individuals was a tall man with fair skin. He had onyx eyes that looked like it could swallow darkness itself, but his eyes were now blood red with tomoe in them and his left eye was unique, but for the moment he kept that eye closed. He had long, frayed black hair, with bangs that framed his face and reached down to his collarbone, his hair was windswept on the top which formed into spikes, his hair at the back also reached down near his shoulder blades.

He was incredibly handsome as most women who he walked past, would become infatuated with him.

He wore a purple long sleeved coat which ended into three coat tails and was ankle-length and a high collar with magatama held by strings on the collar and a symbol of a red and white fan on the back of the coat. He wore bladed ninja gauntlets over the coat with armoured clawed gloves and bladed shoulder pads and black armour on his chest, he wore a purple rope belt which was tied into a bow, bladed shinguards and clawed boots. The armour was also tight allowing any one to see his muscle underneath, but this didn't prohibit his movement. he also wore large prayer beads around his neck and hung loosely over his right shoulder.

His opponent was also a tall man but with slightly tanned skin. He had deep, ocean blue eyes that just seemed to flow like water, he had spiky golden hair that could make the sun jealous and envious, with stream-line bangs framing his face, his right bangs were longer than his left reaching his collar bone while his left bangs were chin-length some of his hair was tied into a ponytail held together by bandages. He had three black whisker marks on each cheek, giving him a vulpine appearance and upon his forehead were markings of a crimson circle with a dot in the middle, reminiscent of a third eye.

He wore mostly black attire, he wore black armoured pants, with clawed boots and a blue rope belt that was tied into a knot hanging out in front. He had black armour on his chest and skin tight attire underneath, the same as his black haired opponent. He wore a black pronged shoulder pads and pronged bracers with clawed gloves, with pronged knee pads. He also was wearing a crimson coloured sleeveless coat with a frayed hemline seemingly worn out form long battles with black flame motifs also on the edges and a high collar with silver magatama held by strings, and on the back of the coat was a symbol of what appeared to be a vajra surrounded by a white circle and around his neck were red beads which sported a large wooden black medallion with a red tassel on it. he was also carrying a large white scroll with black swirling wind motifs on his back.

But right now his form was mudded with grit and blood, from battling his counter part, for who knows how long, but the blonde could only assume, that it must have been hours. However his own opponent was bloodied and covered in grime and some of their clothing were torn in places such as their torso's and legs and instead of blue eyes his eyes were now golden amber with a slit for a pupil.

These two men were respectively, Sasuke Uchiha, the Getsumen Uranaishi (Lunar Diviner) and the Bagami (Fanged God) and Naruto Senju, the Taiyō Yogensha (Solar Prophet) and the Tsubasakami (Winged God). Naruto was currently embroiled in a battle with his greatest rival and his greatest friend, but why they were fighting was still unknown.

"**Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku (Fire release: Great Fire Annihilation)!**" Yelled Sasuke, intent on killing the man that was like a brother to him. The Uchiha legend spewed out a massive wall of intense flames at the blonde, who went through handseals to counter attack, with a jutsu, unique to the blondes.

"**Senpō: Kinton Tetsu Bōgo Kabe (Sage art: Metal release Iron protective wall)**." said Naruto ending his seals on the dog sign, and in a second a humongous wall of silver metal made of iron that and tied together with nuts and bolts erupted from the ground and shielded the blonde from any harm, although the flames did heat up the metal but other than that it stood strong against the jutsu.

Naruto in a burst of speed leaped over the wall and landed in front of Sasuke where he punched him in the gut and followed up with a round house kick which sent the black haired man rolling across the ground and spitting blood.

Naruto went through handseals to restrain his friend so he could finish this fight.

"**Senpō: Mokuton Seigen Ne Torappu (Sage art: Wood release restricting root trap)**." said Naruto ending his seals with the snake seal, which was commonly affiliated with the Wood release. And from the ground, massive entangling roots began to surround Sasuke hoping to hold him in place so Naruto could deal the final blow, but the Uchiha would have none of that and unsheathed his sword which he was hiding behind his back and channelled his Lightning chakra through it cutting up the roots.

The Uchiha regained his footing and jumped away from the roots and started to prepare for Naruto's next attack. The blonde, partly knowing that his enemy would do that also took out his own signature weapons.

He he channelled some of his mighty chakra into wrist seals which he had transcribed into his wrists for such a purpose. And what he held in his hands were two identical short staves that were as tall from his feet to his waist, perfect for bashing an opponent and reach.

The two childhood friends rushed at each other, hoping to land a blow on the other.

Sasuke performed a downward slash which Naruto easily blocked the attack with one of his staves and attempted to bash Sasuke with the other staff in his hand. But Sasuke saw the attack coming with his Sharingan and was able to jump over the blonde to his unguarded backside.

Sasuke then attempted to stab the renowned Senju leader in the back but Naruto counted by blocking the sword with one his staves causing sparks to fly from the grinding of the metals. Sasuke didn't have enough time to duck before he was clobbered in the head with one of Naruto's staves, which made the Uchiha leader to stumble across the ground and become disoriented from the blow and some blood to trail from a wound on his head.

If Sasuke was serious, he knew that Naruto was stronger than he was, something which infuriated the Uchiha to no end. so he couldn't afford to take many hits, from taijutsu or ninjutsu, but his skills and abilities evened out the power difference. But the same thing applied for his equally legendary opponent because of the blondes unique kekki genkai, the Mokuton and the Kinton (Wood release and the Metal release).

Wood release allowed Naruto to create plants, trees and general wood out of no where by simultaneously combing Earth chakra and Water chakra, a fabled ability that only the blonde's ancestor, the Shodaime Hokage possessed. It surprised many in the Hidden Leaf Village upon discovering that Shodaime's descendant also had the same kekki genkai he had.

While the Metal release was an entirely new one, by combining Earth chakra with Lightning chakra was Naruto able to create metal and rust to attack and defend himself in areas, although it was noted that it couldn't control bijū but it was able to restrain them because of the metal's certain properties. However Sasuke did know, that the Kinton was just as coveted as the Mokuton.

Sasuke, even though he didn't have as much power as Naruto, his skill with his clans techniques and his own prowess with the Sharingan and it's forms were enough to even the playing field between the two combatants. Besides, skill and power were similar but vastly different.

Both combatants rushed at each other in a burst of speed, and met in a clash that pushed the other away. where they had a stare down for a few minutes.

Both having enough Naruto ran to the left while Sasuke ran to the right, at phenomal speeds that not even the naked eye could perceive. they ran so far and so fast that they were in a different place altogether, mountain cliffs and slopes away from where they were, and while thye were running they were attmpting to strike each other with their respective weapons, but neither one got the advantage over the other.

they both came sliding to a halt, Naruto tried to clobber Sasuke with both of his staves but the Uchiha smoothly blocked it with his sword. But Naruto wasn't finished and with a swift change in his feet tried to bash Sasuke again with a single staff but Sasuke held his sword in a reverse position and pressed his free hand against it to hold back the strength of his rival. Then Sasuke pushed against the sword, and tried to slash Naruto horizontally but it failed as the blonde's staff which was still blocking the sword was overturned into a reverse position and effectively blocked Sasuke's sword.

Both parties weapons then rebounded against the other and Naruto took advantage of that to hit Sasuke some more, but with the Uchiha's powerful eyes he was able to dodge them efficiently and jumped in the air tried to slash Naruto with his sword in a reverse position but the blodne slid and ducked under the attack easily because of the blonde's increased perception from the senjutsu running through his body constantly. with his sword still in a reverse position Sasuke again attempted to stab Naruto in his unguarded back, but the Senju leader used one of his staves to redirect the sword where sparks were flying from the scraping. But this didn't stop Sasuke as he spun around to Naruto's left side and tried to slash him.

But the man likened to a dragon only jumped away and landed on a cliff where he was using his chakra to keep him standing on the cliffside and away from danger.

"**Katon: Ryūen Hōka no jutsu (Fire release: Dragon flame Release Song technique)!**" yelled Sasuke as he brought his lips to his mouth and fired off multiple heads of dragons aimed right at Naruto who expertly dodged the dragon heads and kept running against the cliff face so to keep dodging the attack. Naruto in response went through his own seals to battle Sasuke.

"**Senpō: Kinton Ryūsandan Iki (Sage art: Metal release Shrapnel Breath)!**" Yelled Naruto as he fired off small shirds of piercing metal at Sasuke who ran so to avoid the deadly technique, just as Naruto was avoiding his.

Sasuke jumped up to Naruto's level so to avoid the shrapnel and gain a footing for the blonde, The Uchiha leader wen though handseals for a fire jutsu of epic level. a jutsu Sasuke invented himself so to kill his rival for whom he had been fighting for years on end.

"**Katon: Honō Tora Uta (Fire release: Flame tiger song)!**" yelledd Sasuke as he blew out a stream of fire that took the shape of a tiger's head which flew at Naruto with frightening speed and size. Naruto in response went though handseals for a jutsu of his own invention also.

"**Senpō ****Mokuton: Ryū Chōkyō Seichō (Sage art: Wood release Dragon Taming Growth)!**" yelled Naruto and form the cliff side five stream like branches adorned with dragon heads that surged toward Sasuke's flame tiger and the advanced nature transformation dispersed the flames and remained relatively intact, the dragon heads then flew at Sasuke ready to bite ad shred him apart, however with Sasuke's right Sharingan he was able to predict the dragon's movements and dodge them with moves that looked akin to water.

Sasuke then prepared his sword for a killing blow by channeling lightning through it increasing it's piercing attack through vibrations. Naruto readied one of his staves and channeled wind chakra through it increasing it's blunt force damage.

Both met in a clash of metal and a small shockwave rocked the area, Sasuke using his innate agility kicked Naruto in the back and sent him flying away, however the blonde was a tough individual and the kick didn't hurt that much. the blonde regained himself in midair and sealed away his staves readying himself for a fist fight. He jumped on a wrecked bridge that was nearby that had rocks decorating it, most likely backlash from the gods attacks.

Naruto ducked in-time to save himself from a horizontal attack from Sasuke (from Sasuke's viewpoint it was a vertical attack) and Sasuke landed on a jutting rock just behind Naruto. in response Sasuke attack Naruto relentlessly with his lightning enhanced attacks, but the blonde dodged them easily and without fear. Sasuke changed his tactics and tried to attack Naruto with a vertical slash that would split the man's head in-two. However Naruto caught the attack with his palms and with ease and precision tossed Sasuke head over-heals to his right which made the Uchiha lose his balance and roll across the ground and scraping his clothing. he regained his footing with enough time to dodge Naruto who was right in his face, Sasuke dodged Naruto and slashed him across the back, only to realise that the clone poofed way in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke widened his lone opened eye and looked back to see his Senju rival about to punch him in the face to which the Uchiha head didn't have enough time to dodge and took the full brunt of the attack, which was a fist impacting against his face making his whole skull shake. the force of the punch was so great that it launched Sasuke backwards and onto the torn ground of the cliffside which was breaking itself from the two gods attacks.

Sasuke landed on the ground in a heap but picked himself up with barely enough time to dodge flying spinning blossoms which were were flying fast enough that they literally caught on fire, creating sharp piercing damage from the petals and burns from the flames. Sasuke kept dodging them efficiently. He knew that Naruto was resorting to his kekki genkai because Sasuke could copy his other elemental jutsu with his Sharingan. He knew the blonde's jutsu very well, from all the times they fought against each other. that jutsu was **Senpō: Mokuton Bōseki Hi hana (Sage art: wood release Spinning fire blossom)**.

No wonder they were called advanced natures since they were stronger than normal natures for sure.

"**Senpō: Kinton Hibiki Gongu Shokku (Sage art: Metal release Resounding Gong Shock)!**" yelled Naruto as he appeared over the bridge forming seals which ended on the dog seal which was commonly affiliated with Kinton. And tiny silver globs came pouring out of his skin, another part of Kinton is that it can manipulate the iron in a person's blood. the globs began forming into massive gongs twice the size of men with square holes in them and they began falling on Sasuke who jumped away to avoid the metal gongs, but he had to becareful as the gongs could create shockwaves that could disorient him.

"**Raiton: Tora Bunseki (Lightning release: Tiger censure)****!**" yelled Sasuke as barreling lightning came shooting out of his hands and aimed at Naruto who couldn't dodge the lightning in time and in the air was hit in the chest by the thunderbolt. And came falling to the ground with his chest sizzling like a burnt cake.

Naruto not one to be outdone by his enemy, went through handseals for another Kinton jutsu.

"**Senpō: Kinton Kyōdaina Kane Nami (Sage art: Metal release mighty bell wave)!**" yelled Naruto as a massive, asian bell came falling down on top of Sasuke and we would have most likely crushed him if he didn't move away. Naruto then raced to the bell and punched it which caused a shockwave to resound and hit Sasuke in the chest and after the shockwave the bell itself followed after and again hit Sasuke in the with all it's might nearly breaking the Uchiha's bones.

Sasuke was getting annoyed at how he was being made into a punching bag, so he had little choice.

The man that was likened to a tiger stood up to his full might and faced his opponent. He channelled Lightning chakra into his left hand, however instead of being it's usual blue colour it was a deep black colour akin to lacquer. it sparkled around his hand as if it was a fragile doll ready to break and it made a chirping sound akin to birds in response.

Naruto also stared at him but closed his eyes and started forming chakra into a sphere in the right palm of his hand, the chakra started wispily, dancing around his form which was strong enough to create gusting winds around him, the sphere was as large as a basketball. but the sphere looked unstable and was fluctuating wildly instead of keeping a solid form, and it looked ready to burst in a moment's notice, the sphere was a bright white colour that rivalled snow.

The two gods then rushed at each other, ready to end the other, Sasuke brought up his black, chirping hand.

Naruto heaved his hand holding the unstable, wispy ball of chakra.

"**Inton (Yin release): ****Chidori!"**

"**Yōton (Yang release): ****Rasengan!**"

both attacks met in a violent clash and the area around them ruptured and splintered and winds heaved the dust around them. The attacks formed a black and purple dome around them, produced from the conflicting energies, soon the dome exploded like shattered glass from the different chakra and both leaders of the most powerful clans were sent hurtling backwards and crashed into the ground leaving deep skid marks in the ground. Sasuke was lying on his back while Naruto was laying on his stomach.

Both men got up with scratches over their forms but both were relatively unaffected. However Sasuke gritted his teeth at his rival ,he could have easily killed him just but refused, he had seen the more powerful levels of the **Rasengan **alone and Naruto wasn't even using his strongest version, did he think Sasuke as weak compared to the Uchiha. Sasuke wouldn't stand for it, it felt like he was weak, and he hated that feeling.

In order for Sasuke to secure his victory over his Senju rival, he would resort to full power to kill the 'God of Shinobi'.

Slowly but surely Sasuke opened his left eye revealing, not a Sharingan underneath but a red Rinnegan, the fabled eye of the Sage of the Six Paths, but Sasuke's was unique, since it had the concentric rings but also had six tomoe along those rings, giving it a dazzling but yet bloodthirsty appearance.

With the powers of the Rinnegan, maybe Sasuke could win.

Naruto seeing his opponent revealing his trump card.

"Is this what you truly want? Sasuke." questioned Naruto as he stared into the Rinnegan in his friend's left eye.

"Nothing would please me more." spoke Sasuke as his eyes was literally piercing into Naruto's head.

"Then, I have little choice." spoke Naruto as his head became downcast, with sorrow. And soon yellow flames started flickering off Naruto's form. His clans symbol on the back of his cloak, changed and now became a black pattern of the Rinnegan with nine tomoe arranged in three rows beneath it. His entire body was was wrapped in black and yellow flames before stabilising into physical clothing, the blue rope became a bright yellow colour, and a yellow circular seal appeared on his stomach, his sleeveless coat which was black in colour became the same magnificent yellow and on his pronged shoulder pads black circular seals appeared with the pieces of his armour becoming yellow also. His entire body underneath the cloak, save for his boots and his fingers, became black, resembling a bodysuit and his skin remained the same.

His hair became a lighter shade of gold and was now floating up, along with his bangs which formed two distinctive horn-like tufts. Magatama markings wrapped around his collar giving him a sage like appearance. His thin whiskers opened up into bars on his cheeks and his pupils remained the same, giving him a slight feral appearance. And behind him, black balls made of chakra floated behind him in a halo-like formation, Naruto then unsealed his two staves becoming ready for combat.

"Today we end this." said Sasuke as he used one of his clans signature jutsu's.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu! (Fire release: Great Fireball technique)**" Said Sasuke as he moulded chakra within his stomach and spewed out a massive ball of flames towards the golden man who merely stood his ground against the oncoming fireball, his eyes focused and ready to attack his opponent. Jut as the Fireball was about to hit him Naruto quickly used one of his most powerful jutsu and disappeared within a lens flare, making the attack strafe past him.

Sasuke seeing something in the corner of his eyes brought up his arm to protect himself from the punch the blonde man dealt him. He saw Naruto staring at him with his yellow eyes, unwavering, did the Senju leader use his space-time ninjutsu to evade Sasuke's attack. Sasuke sending chakra into his own eye retreated from the blonde by suddenly disappearing without any form of indication did the Uchiha retreat from the Jinchūriki to a place that would better serve his needs. So Sasuke ran, falling back to a safer location.

Naruto soon gave chase by levitating his body off the ground and soon he was flying after the Uchiha who kept his speed at a steady pace, ignoring the advancing Hokage.

Jumping across the mountains and using his left eye to his advantage did Sasuke Narrowly escape the falling rocks that were plummeting towards him, courtesy of his old friend who was intent on crushing him, it lasted only for a few minutes did Sauske make it to an advantageous location that would give him suitable high ground and attack positions, being unable to fly himself. He then landed on a rock spire just as two large rocks were about to smash against him, using his great strength his was able to redirect the rocks with some effort away from him where they smashed into other rock spires.

However he then felt his body grappled suddenly, pounding against him where he looked down to see the flying Naruto holding onto intending to pummel him against one of the spires. However Sasuke also grabbed his opponent's body and threw him over his body where Naruto lost control of his flight and then smashed into a rock spire making the ground shake a little as Sasuke then landed on another spire staring into the spire. He then saw Naruto scraping down the side of the spire unharmed only with a but of dust on him.

Naruto then jumped off the spire landing on another and jumped onto a spire and using his flight abilities again, spun around the spire and using his immense strength lifted the top part of the spire and threw it at Sasuke he channelled some of his chakra to defend himself from the house sized piece of rock that he was unable to defend against properly.

"**Shinra Tensei (Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent God)!**" yelled Sasuke as he created an invisible gravitational force that completely shattered the boulder only allowing some pieces of rubble to strike him. However Sasuke fell into Naruto's trap as the blonde created two enormous chakra arms that gripped two of the spires together and and attempted to slam the two of them in-between Sasuke, however the Uchiha channeled chakra into his Rinnegan and used his own Space-time technique. "**Kamiumi!**" Sasuke then shifted himself atop another rock spire higher than the last one escaping the two pillar thas would have crushed him other wise.

But Naruto wasn't done, turning his two larger chakra arms into five smaller ones did he grab several pieces of falling rock out of the air and then made a single hand seal, which phased changed the rock into molten boulders of lava. "**Senpō: Shakugaryūgan no jutsu (Sage Art: Lava release Scorching Stream Rock technique**)!" and with that Naruto hurled the massive molten boulders towards Sasuke whose Rinnegan was still recharging **Kamiumi** and so was forced to evade the rocks as he jumped around the pillars trying not to be melted the the pillars fell to the ground because their structure was quite literally melted.

As Sasuke was retreating from the Hokage's assault, Naruto took to the air once again and flew after his Uchiha counterpart. Naruto seeing the jumping form of the Uchiha swiftly flew down towards the ground and made a single seal.

"**Senp****ō:** **Katon Nekohibachi (Sage art: Fire release Cat Fire Bowl)**!" yelled Naruto as his fingers were encased in blue flames where he clawed at the air releasing multiple blue fireballs with whips of black within them, heading straight for Sasuke. Sasuke using his chakra to suspend himself on the side of a cliff away from the rock spires where he turned around and channelled chakra into his right eye, where his Eternal Mengakyō Sharingan appeared in his right eye and performed the other ability of his exclusive dōjutsu.

"**Kamiumi**." said Sasuke as before him the blue fireballs stopped in midair just as they were about to hit him, and suddenly they disappeared from sight where instead Naruto found himself surrounded by his own blue fireballs where he didn't have enough time to defend himself before he was bombarded from every corner with fire dazzling the sky and Sasuke iwth his cold eyes watching from his position as the multiple blue explosions rocked the sky.

He then saw a shadow move out of the explosion allowing Sasuke to view it as the shadow was rolling across the ground across the cliffs and it was battered against the hard ground. It was of course Naruto whose entire body was singed from head to toe from the heat of his own attack and the tips of his golden spiky hair were singed fro being burnt from his own attack and some of his armour was also burnt but otherwise he would be fine.

Getting back onto his feet, Naruto glared at Sasuke, guess the attack didn't give him a blow to his pride, if it wasn't for Naruto shielding himself with his **Gūdudama (Truth-seeking ball)** at the last minute, he would have suffered far more serious injuries, of course he couldn't protect himself completely from his own attack, since the Senjutsu enhanced attack disrupted the balls form. But luckily the Hokage was durable enough to survive the attack. However, Naruto also knew that Sasuke was near open to attack, so creating a handseal, Naruto flew up in the air again and with him came a large rock the size of a house and threw it down on Sasuke who had to release his chakra holding him up on the cliff.

Naruto then landed on the ground, into a small streaming waterfall, where he made three handseals while his legs were in the water.

"**Senpō: n****inja Konboāto: Sansango Kyūryūdageki (Sage art: ninja combo art acid coral torrent shock)**!" and as Naruto ducked his hands into the water, infusing acid bubbles together with coral with a water shell surrounding it did he hurl large torrents of water with the acidic coral towards Sasuke who stopped his fall and began dodging the blasts of corrosive water and coral, he knew that if he tried to absorb the technique he would be left wide open for Naruto to attack him with taijutsu, so his best option was to dodge the Rokudaime's attacks. However, even Sasuke had a limit as Naruto kept hurling the waves of acidic water and coral, he soon was hit in the leg by a blast where the coral started growing on his leg, restricting his movement and because of the acid burning his armour to his leg.

Naruto seeing his chance began boiling his very own chakra to inhuman levels where copious amounts of steam was simmering off his form, launching himself forward Naruto attempted to punch Sasuke to which the Uchiha knew if he was struck by the punch, he just might end up dead.

As he was falling Sasuke held out his hand gritting his teeth from the burning coral and just as Naruto was about to strike Sasuke used the powers of his Rinnegan.

"**Shinra Tensei!**" said Sasuke just in time to repel Naruto's attack, but the Jinchūriki has experience with the technique and knew that if struck with equal or opposing force then the technique can be countered and so Naruto boiled even more of his chakra, increasing the temperature and ploughing his way through Sasuke's attack where he struck the Uchiha leader in the chest, and the cliff they were facing was completely shattered from Naruto's punch as the Uchiha was pulverised through the mountain from Naruto's steam-enhanced taijutsu. the punch was so strong that Sasuke was smashed all the way through the mountain and ended up on the other side with Naruto flying after him.

when Sasuke finally came to a halt from the punch, he coughed up blood at the feeling of his ribs being shattered from the punch, he could feel his body lying upon what felt like grain, he opened his eyes to see the sun shining in his red eyes, did the sun have a shadow? he widened his eyes seeing Naruto ready to punch him again with his steam enhanced strength which would kill Sasuke if he was struck by the punch, as his body couldn't withstand such tremendous force again. Quickly sending chakra into his Rinnegan eye Sasuke used his exclusive Mangekyō technique.

"**Kamiumi!" **said Sasuke just as Naruto was bout to shatter his entire body. Instead Naruto smashed his fist against empty space and the ground of layered sand with Sasuke some distance away. As the Uchiha was looking around himself he couldn't help but groan at his location, a sea of sand, which was the worst place for him. But he also saw the amount of steam radiating off Naruto decrease, he could only boil his chakra at that level fora short amount of time. quickly breaking the burning coral off his leg with his fist, Sasuke frowned at seeing that half of his left leg was covered in burns that was still hot tot he touch, the coral had grown at a faster rate than he expected but the acid burned slower, fortunately for him.

"**Senpō: Sunamujo Noroihaji (Sage art: Sand Witch Curse Hold)!**" spoke Naruto as he slammed his hands on the ground where dark blue cursed seal patterns appeared and were rushing towards Sasuke at such a extreme speed that the Uchiha had little time to counter before the cursed seal covered half of his body, binding his movements. Sasuke knowing that he couldn't remove the seal from his body knew that he would have to fight in such a state. HOwever he would have to leave the desert quickly as it was the worst place to be if he was fighting the leader of the Senju clan. His fears came true as sand all around him began spiralling around him, sinking him into the ground.

He looked up just as half of his legs were swallowed by the sand to see the Hokage's hand outstretched towards him and he was slowly clenching his hand slowly, Sasuke knew that if he didn't think of something soon, he would be crushed to death by the Senju leader. He couldn't use couldn't use **Kamiumi** in his left eye since it was still recharging and he couldn't use the **Kamiumi** in his right eye since the sand obeyed Naruto's will and he wouldn't kill himself. Sasuke thinking of such an idea, raised his right hand towards the Hokage. Sasuke would use the basics of his abilities.

"**Banshō Ten'in (Heavenly Attraction of all of Creation)!**" yelled Sasuke as Naruto was soon swept off his feet though with some resistance. Even though Sasuke knew it might be a deadly move, if it meant victory over his opponent and his superior power, then Sasuke was all for it, it was only because of his mastery of the Rinnegan that Sasuke was even able to hold his own against Naruto. With Naruto swept off his feet the sand stopped spiralling in on Sasuke as he reached to his waist, then Sasuke charged Lightning chakra into his left hand with great effort because of the cursed seal binding his body, as Naruto came flying towards him.

**"Chidori!**" spoke Sasuke as he rammed his left hand into Naruto as the Lightning surged around. Soon he pierced Naruto in the chest. However instead of being met with blood, he was instead met with sand, as Sasuke had pierced a sand clone of his opponent. But the **Gudōdama**was behind him, however he soon saw the nine black balls of chakra fly in from behind and started floating around the real Naruto who was staring at him from behind. he then looked back at the sand clone who latched onto his arm and began covering Sasuke's entire body. Soon Sasuke was being covered by the sand, and the sink hole was swallowing him up again.

Naruto seeing that his rival was utterly trapped, went through seals for one of his most powerful kekki geknai jutsu.

"**Senpō: Kinton Tetsunohoshi (Sage art: Metal release Iron Star)!**" said Naruto and within an instant, a black jagged/spiked ball appeared from behind him out of the ground, it was twice the size house and with rectangular holes in it with roaring flames on the inside where the flames escaped through the rectangular holes, without warning the black spiked metal ball of death rolled towards Sasuke, and if the ground wasn't sand, it would demolish anything within it's path as it sped towards it's target. finally reaching Sasuke it sunk into the sinkhole along with the Uchiha where it exploded in a shower of orange flame where sand was upheaved and flew everywhere. However sensing Something was wrong, Naruto saw a shadow fly out of the sand and flames.

And he beheld Sasuke as he stood upon a mountainous hawk that easily dwarfed trees, buildings and large rock structures, it didn't take a genius to figure out that Sasuke obviously summoned the hawk an escaped the effects of his **Tetsunohoshi**. Naruto could also seeing Sasuke's right arm was bleeding heavily, the armour upon it was gone, showing the skin underneath, it had several burns across it and jagged black metal shards within it also and some of his hair was singed and his face was burnt but other than that his wounds would be superficial. However He had a massive disadvantage because Naruto's cursed seal was still clinging to half of Sasuke's body, almost binding his movements completely.

So Naruto knowing that the hawk was faster than him in the air, would never be able to catch it with his sheer speed alone. So this was going to be a test of speed vs strength. bringing his thumb to his mouth, Naruto bit on his thumb drawing blood and slammed his hand on the ground.

"**Kuchiyose no jutsu (Summoning technique)**!" Yelled Naruto as he was surrounded by a huge plume of smoke. Sasuke atop his widened his eyes at the sound of trumpeting could be heard from the plume of smoke. As the smoke settled, Sasuke could see Naruto standing on an equally colossal being, possibly even larger, and from the smoke, Sasuke could see the grey leathery skin of a massive elephant, with large ears and an long trunk that look like it could smash mountains.

"Sasuke-sama, this will be difficult, Zōhōkō's skin is almost as strong as titanium and his attacks will kill me within only a few hits, we'll have to be cautious." spoke the hawk to it's summoner to which Sasuke nodded, the chief of the elephant tribe was not an opponent anyone should take lightly and both Sasuke and the hawk knew this well.

"Takahane, stay at this altitude while I devise a strategy, but be prepared to move for if they attack." commanded Sasuke to which the hawk named Takahane nodded at his master. 'I'll need to create an opening, and trap Naruto and Zōhōkō... wait that can work.' thought Sasuke as the thought came to him. "Takahane, on my signal get me as close as you can without getting hit, I'll be expending a lot of chakra so this has to work."

"Yes, Sasuke-sama." said the hawk. While down below upon the desert Naruto and his elephant summoning Zōhōkō were having their own conversation.

"I'm sorry Zōhōkō-san, I hope I wasn't interrupting something back at you're home." spoke Naruto politely.

"Not at all Naruto-sama, So what can I help you with." said the elephant chief with a smile on his face, but Naruto merely pointed towards Sasuke and Takahane. "Oh... him. I wondered when he would make his move. he's always been devious." spoke the elephant to which Naruto nodded. "I assume you have a plan."

"Let him make the first move. Until then, stand your ground and prepare your attacks." said Naruto as Zōhōkō prepared himself. Naruto then went through handseal where the snad on the ground began shifting. While Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicion at what the gold and black clothed man was thinking.

"**Senpō: Mokuton Hanayahyō (Sage art: Wood release flower arrow hail)**!" said Naruto as he thrusted his arms out toward Sasuke as numerous purple flowers with six long purple petals, long stalks as twice the height of a man with long barbs sticking out from their centres.

'i thought we were going to wait for him to attack?' thought Zōhōkō.

"TAKAHANE MOVE!" yelled Sasuke as the hawk took evasive action as the multitude of plants started shooting out barbs towards Sasuke and Takahane who who doing their best to not get hit by the literal hail of arrows from the flowers, as one nearly penetrated Sasuke's head the Uchiha for a split second sniffed the tip of the barb and deduced that the barbs were coated with poison. Sasuke knew that if he was even scratched with that poison it was death, no escape, if it wasn't senjutsu enhanced you would be paralysed rather than die.

But still Sasuke had to be careful. Having Takahane fly downward towards Naruto and Zōhōkō did Sasuke channel chakra into his Rinnegan eye.

"**Rinbo: Hengoku (Wheel Grave: Border Jail)**!" Said SAsuke as he focused his left red eye intently on Naruto who sensed a disturbance. Creating a handseal to combat Sasuke, Naruto simply told his elephant summon to stay still.

"Zōhōkō hold still, and don't move." commanded Naruto to which the massive elephant nodded. "**Senpō: ****Ryūbi no Jōmon (Sage art: Gate of the Dragon Tail)!**" said Naruto as he clapped his hands together as two rows of twenty white pillars as tall as Zōhōkō fell from the sky and dug themselves into the sandy ground all around the elephant and his master on each corner, and Naruto could sense their presence, the shadows battering themselves against the gates cracking the incredibly strong wood. However what the blonde didn't know that this was Sasuke's plan.

Sasuke then brought up his right arm and with great effort lifted his left arm (because the cursed seal his hampering his movement) clapped his hands together as he stood upon his mountainous hawk.

"**Chibaku Tensei (Heavenly Body Bursting from the Earth)**!" yelled Sasuke as he created a small black orb in-between his hands which only grew in shape and soon was twice as large as his hand and doing the unthinkable and using his good arm, Sasuke threw the black sphere towards Naruto and his summon it then smacked Naruto right in the chest where it stuck to the blonde man to which Sasuke clapped his hands together again as Naruto was thrusted up in the air again as the black sphere upon his chest acted like a gravitational centre where rocks all around him began being uplifted towards the black ball even Zōhōkō wasn't immune from it's affects as the elephant was also lifted up in the air trumpeting in annoyance. Soon rocks and mountains began pelting the two of them as they couldn't defend themselves entirely from the onslaught. and in enough time the summoner and his master were devoured by rocks as the black sphere was surrounded by earth forming a perfect sphere with Naruto and his elephant trapped in the centre.

Sasuke then raised his right arm where it instinctively formed a mechanical cannon raised directly at the **Chibaku Tensei** and Sasuke of course fired a chakra blast that was aimed for the core of the satellite and when it met it's mark the core xploded violently sendng all the mountains and debris flying everywhere and to see the bodies of Naruto and Zōhōkō smash to the ground and when they impacted it sounded as if thunder rang throughout the land.

Sasuke could see that his attack was devastating as that his tactic worked, if he had created the black sphere without trapping it to Naruto then the Hokage could have destroyed the **Chibaku Tensei** even more easily than Sasuke did and the blonde couldn't destroy it while he was so close to the core otherwise he would have damaged himself more than Sasuke did. As Sasuke looked down into the large dust clouds where the two landed he couldn't help but smirk at getting the upper hand over his stronger opponent. Tactics and planning of his skills is what Sasuke needed to defeat Naruto otherwise he would never be able to defeat the Senju leader with just sheer power.

And just for added insurance, using the Asura path, Sasuke manifested four more arms out of his body, shoulder to shoulder, where the new arms performed their own individual handseals and Sasuke with his real arms also did a handseal, although with effort because of his cursed body.

"**Tengai Shinsei (Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Star)!**." said Sasuke as he summoned a massive meteorite out of the sky as it fell through the clouds and descended upon Naruto who opened his eyes to see the sun's light clouded by the meteorite. His form was now covered in dirt and part of his armour was destroyed on the left side and he had a few bleeding wounds on his body. Instantly he raised his right arm to combat the meteorite as chakra arms burst forth and grappled onto the giant rock stopping it in it's halt just as it was about to crush him and his summon. But he didn't have enough strength to halt the second meteorite that dispersed the clouds and collided with the first asteroid which pummelled Naruto and his elephant where a great dust cloud was seen from the attack.

This only caused Sasuke to smirk in victory, believing his opponent to be defeated. He then ordered Takahane to descend to the ground level to which he landed on the sand surrounded by rock and plants from their previous engagements. his new arms then disappeared as he dragged himself across the sand looking amongst the rubble for his prize. He soon found it, with even more of his clothes torn and some more wounds on his body with his nine **Gudōdama  
**lying around him, motionless just like Naruto. Just as Sasuke was about to turn Naruto over, the wounded blonde snapped his eyes open and exuded a fine dust from his mouth that combusted into fine luminous dust that blinded Sasuke with just enough time for Naruto to kick him away and create a handseal. Sasuke now knew that he saw something else amongst the rubble, a large metal noh mask some distance away from his and Naruto's position, he saw it just before he was blinded, the elephant had also survived because of Naruto.

"**Senpō: Sansan (Sage art: Acid Scattering)!**" said Naruto as he spewed acid towards Sasuke who was still blinded by Naruto's previous technique, the attack his Sasuke in the left arm and his left torso that instantly burned through his clothes and armour, feeling the burning Sasuke instantly tore off the armour and clothing with his non-sealed arm, ripping it straight off even though his right hand was also burned because of it. Now Sasuke was left nearly bare chested with his armour on his chest barely hanging on and his eft arm was now armour-less and sleeveless but still covered in Naruto's cursed seal.

Just as Takahane was about to help his master, he felt a rumbling in the ground where Zōhōkō came bursting out from a dust cloud with a jutsu prepared to stop the hawk from taking flight.

"**Suiton: Zōmizurappa (Water release: Elephant Water Trumpet)!**" said the mighty beast as it brought it's trunk up as it sprayed copious amounts of water on Takahane, pummelling it to the ground because of the force of the water, without wasting anytime, Zōhōkō smashed it's two front feet on top of the hawk making it scream in pain at it's hollow bones being crushed by the substantial weight. Takahane, having no chance, disappeared in a plume of smoke back to it's home where the elephant followed soon after, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone.

Sasuke getting his eyesight back, knew of Takahane's disappearance and knew that he would need his last support to deal with Naruto. Slamming his hand on the ground, Sasuke summoned the only help that could contribute to the battle. Naruto seeing Sasuke's action took to the air and began flying into the clouds, where he held out his hand before the clouds.

"**Kuchiyose no jutsu!**" yelled Naruto and Sasuke at the same time and two plumes of smoke appeared on the ground and in the clouds. And from the smoke came creatures that the two of them have raised ever since they were children, animals that found them, they raised them, they weren't summonings, tehy were familiars.

From the smoke on the ground, came a large black whipping tail, long sharp claws that could cut mountains to shreds, rows of sharp teeth as if it could bite through trees, a muscular body perfect for combat with cuts and scars all over it's form, it was predominately grey, with black stripes, a white underbelly and red eyes. It was literally snarling and hissing, roaring a little, almost as if eager for battle just as Sasuke was who was standing on it's forehead. It was a giant female tiger, the size of a bijū, Sasuke had raised the creature ever since he was a young boy and the tiger rarely left his side. The black shadow, Yochi the tiger.

From the smoke high in the clouds, came a serpentine form twirling around the clouds. It's long body sported snow white scales across it's form, a pair of massive wings that could disperse every cloud in the sky, with semi-long limbs and claws that could scar the ground, two long black horns that could heft boulders the size of it's head, tufts of fur around it's face and chin giving it a sort of regal appearance, black teeth with two protruding black fangs on the sides of it's mouth that could devour any human, black spikes running along it's back, two barbels on each side of it's nostrils. it's size was tremendous as it was bigger than the tiger and just as big as the Hokage mountain. It was the legendery dragon that Naruto had nurtured ever since it hatched from it's egg and said Hokage was riding on it's forehead, looking down upon Sasuke from his altitude. The White Light, Tentō the dragon.

Tentō without needing to be told, flew away from the battle with Naruto atop his head, while the Senju kept his eyes trained on Sasuke as the Uchiha ordered his Bijū size tiger to give chase to the dragon and it's master. As Naruto was leading the battle away from the plant/rubble covered desert he knew of a place where he would be offered eve more advantages than the desert. Quickly ordering Tentō, his dragon, to descend towards cliffs that harboured caves, did the dragon land on the ground just as Sasuke and his tiger, Yochi arrived where the Bijū-sized tiger latched onto Tentō using her great claws to tear into the dragon's scales and her teeth to bite on his flesh while Tentō merely roared as it fought back against the tiger while on the cliffs, using his long body to his advantage to wrap around the tiger so to drain it of all life.

Naruto meanwhile was tackled by Sasuke, into the caves as they fell on rock and mineral. Once they tumbled onto stable ground, Naruto kicked Sasuke off him who disappeared into the darkness with Naruto scanning his eyes all around the cave, while unsealing his two staves and combining them into a single weapon. Sasuke in the darkness merely unsheathed his sword.

the cave was dark, too dark that it was near impossible to see without a sufficient source of life, the only light coming from green crystals that dotted the cave, offering minimal luminance.

"I don't need eyes to find you Sasuke! I can hear you breath, smell your pride and feel your presence. The thing is, can you find me without your eyes." spoke Naruto speaking into the darkness. and he raised his staff multiple times to block weapon attacks coming from Sasuke such as large shuriken, kunai and Sasuke strafing by with his sword and fading away into the darkness. Naruto made a single handseal and just as he blocked Sasuke's weapon attack he spat ink into the Uchiha's causing him to yell in slight pain at his now blinded eyes. Naruto followed up his assault on the Uchiha by creating chakra arms that pummelled the Rinnegan wielder into the ground.

Sasuke then lifted himself off the ground and rubbed the ink out of his eyes he then channelled chakra into his left Rinnegan eye and from his vision black flames, sprouting from his field of vision, filling the entire cave with black flame,s burning anything and everything within a crisp. Naruto taking evasive action used one of his **Gudōdana** to shield himself from the flames. Quickly taking a chance to escape, Naruto flew to the roof of the cave where a dar hole was visible, Sasuke not content with his prey getting away jumped all the way up to the hole trying to catch up to the flying blonde.

When Naruto reached the exit he could see Sasuke runnign at him, jumping through the cave where he destroyed the exit and landed outside, staring up at Naruto who remained levitating in the air.

"Time to take the kiddy-gloves off."spoke Sasuke as he sent chakra into both of his eyes where a purple skeletal ribcage surrounded him.

'So he's getting serious. If he's using "that"' thought Naruto as he frowned at Sasuke below. '**Susanoo'**

The **Susanoo** and around Sasuke came a purple skeletal ribcage made entirely from the Uchiha's chakra. Sasuke advanced his **Susanoo** further and skipped all the necessary forms to reach it's final state and most powerful state.

Sasuke's Final stabilised **Susanoo **was an enormous winged construct which was perfectly capable of flight. In this state Sasuke's Susanoo was clad in armour akin to that of a samurai, it's helmet had a long tengu like nose and accentuated eye-holes, two spikes over the eyes, a slit stretching across it's mouth and three gaps on each of it's cheeks and one on it's chin, it had fiery hair and upon it's forehead was a pentagonal prism where Sasuke was floating inside it's wings also had small finger where it would hold the **Susanoo's **katana. But Naruto was not intimidated by the chakra construct that dwarfed even tailed beasts. Naruto responded to Sasuke's ethereal warrior with his own ethereal warrior. Naruto could also sense the his dragon Tento was still in battle with Sasuke's tiger Yochi.

'**Varuna**' thought Naruto as he was also incased in chakra, but unlike Sasuke it appeared like yellow flames with black markings acting as a ribcage. And around him the yellow flames started taking on a corporeal form, with black markings across the body. And finally, **Varuna** was complete.

**Varuna** was like **Susanoo **as it encased the user in chakra protecting them from harm. But the **Varuna **took the form of a three headed, six armed battle avatar, with monk beads wrapped around it's neck with three black tassels on the beads. It also sported a uniquely shaped hat with spikes facing to the right and two black lines on each side between the curves of the hat with artificial ponytail on the hat, it also sported circular seals on it's shoulders and stomach and bar like markings on the forms hands and feet and had three black lines on it's torso resembling a ribcagewith a 'cloak' of yellow chakra which swayed behind it with nine black lines running down and black balls of chakra which were Naruto's **Gudōdama** also floated behind the **Varuna **in a halo like fashion and it's form was constantly flickering yellow flames, it's height was enormous as it easily equalled the **Susanoo** in height. (Asura's battle avatar, if you were wondering)

Sasuke's **Susanoo** readied itself to attack Naruto, by unsheathing it's twin katana. Naruto's **Varuna** responded by manifesting a short staff in each one of it's six hands by applying shape transformation to the **Gudōdama**. Both heavenly beings and their respective masters charged at each other.

Sasuke's **Susanoo** raised it's sword and performed a downward slash on the **Varuna **but the battle avatar raised two of it's staves to block it, and with it's other four arms it attacked the **Susanoo's **chest, with multiple barrages from the staves, but given that the **Susanoo** is mostly used for defence with considerable offence, the staves were able to cause harm to it, but not much.

The **Susanoo** using it's free katana attempted to slash the Senju's avatar, but Naruto sensing the attack coming, was able to have his **Varuna **dodge it, but the resulting slash tore apart any mountains that were in the area, cutting them in half with little to no effort.

Naruto seeing the destruction was unafraid of it, it did nothing to break his fighting spirit. Naruto from within his **Varuna** commanded the warrior to jump in the air, Sasuke with his Sharingan saw Naruto coming down from the sky, with his avatar's staves ready to strike him him in a stabbing motion.

Sasuke readied his **Susanoo's** wings and was able to drift away from Naruto's avatar that was just about to hit him, the result, from the force of the impact was enough to completely shatter the entire earth they were battling on, causing it to be crushed into pieces of rock that were the size of specks of salt. Even the mountains Sasuke had cut in half were punished even more as their entire form came crashing down becoming nothing more than dust, the trees and lakes that were nearby were uprooted and their shape was distorted.

Total destruction was what remained and the mountains they were battling in was nothing more than a rocky, splintered and grey area.

Sasuke's **Susanoo** was able to escape the immediate danger, but still, the sight was still in Sasuke's mind. Just how could his greatest enemy, someone who was born with utterly no talent or genius, able to match a prodigy such as himself, he hated feeling weak, as it prove that his opponent was stronger.

Sasuke's **Susanoo **flew down at Naruto ready to battle him once again.

'I'm not going to lose to you.' thought Sasuke as he was nearing his opponent.

'I will protect my village, my friends, and those who I love more than anything, if it means killing you, then I will force my hand.' thought Naruto as he prepared himself for Sasuke. Both beings then met in a clash that created massive gusts of wind that blew away any dust and debris. Then both constructs jumped away from the other and fell into defensive stances where they attacked each other again with violent clashes that shook that shook the earth to it's core, Naruto and Sasuke kept attacking one another, hoping to gain an upper hand.

Naruto with a tactic in mind, had his **Varuna** prepare the **Gudōdama** by clutching one in each hand where it charge toward Sasuke smashed the black balls into Sasuke's **Susanoo** where it disintegrated on touch, almost as if the warrior was screaming in pain from the attack, much of the ethereal warrior was damage and hurt where it lost a leg, an arm and about half of it's body because of the raw power of Naruto's attacks, however Sasuke reformed the warrior and healing all damage done to it's body by feeding off Sasuke's chakra. Sasuke then threw it's two swords at Naruto's **Varuna** where they cut the three-headed avatar in the side and on it's shoulder but it didn't deter it when it grabbed swords out of the air and threw them back at the **Susanoo** where it stabbed the warrior in the chest.

Sasuke's **Susanoo** then jumped away hoping to avoid the dangerous attacks that would surely kill Sasuke. Sasuke then whistled where his massive tiger came running towards him, interrupting the cats battle with it's dragon counterpart. Naruto also did the same and Tentō flapped his wings intent on getting to Naruto's location. Both legends then deactivated their guardian deities and landed on the respective heads of their familiars.

"**Susanoo/Varuna!**" spoke Naruto and Sasuke at the same time, except instead they were shaping their deities around their familiars. Yochi was covered from head to toe to tail in purple protectiev chakra plates and two extra rams, one over each of it's shoulder holding twin katanas in each hand. Yochi's face was covered in the helmet of the **Susanoo** gaining a long tengu nose, two horns over it's ears, samurai like armour also sprouted it's shoulders and purple flames were flickering off it's form with a hexagonal prism on her forehead where her master was floating within with his arms crossed and the cursed seal on his body disappearing because of the ethereal warrior.

Tentō was encased in flickering flames and translucent chakra, on it's shoulders and stomach were circular seals and lines that ran up and down from the seals, on both sides of the dragon's face were two identical copies of the dragon's face, mirroring Naruto's singular **Varuna**, upon it's three heads were circular hats with an artificial ponytail with two black lines and a dot on each hat, it's scales along it's body disappeared being replaced with the chakra of the **Varuna**, it also gained two extra pair of arms with lines running down each arm. black lines were also running along the entire length of his body ending at the tail and it also gained black lines on it's torso looking like a ribcage and prayer beads with a tassels around it's long neck and finally gained a extra pair of wings with three black lines on the wings and Naruto sitting within the hat of Tentō staring at Sasuke.

"COME NARUTO!" yelled Sasuke as he and his **Susanoo **enhanced tiger pet charged at Naruto.

"BE PREPARED SASUKE!" responded Naruto as he and his **Varuna** enhanced pet dragon flew at Sasuke with both animals roaring at the the other.

Sasuke's tiger opened it's purple clad mouth and what appeared to be a massive rotating wind-ball formed where Sasuke stabbed it with his two **Susanoo** swords before launching it at Naruto as he and Tentō landed on the where Naruto channelling his chakra through the **Varuna**slammed one of it's hand on the ground.

**"Kuchyose: Senpō Gojū Rashōmon (Summoning: Sage art Quintuple Rashōmon**)!" yelled Naruto as five Rashōmon gates appeared that were larger than Tentō appeared, blocking Sasuke's attack.

Naruto had Tentō fly up where the blonde man made a handseal. Whlie Tentō seemed to be sucking in it's gut. and everywhere leaves from all around gathered around Naruto and Tentō where the two of them, fired of water jets from Tentō's nose with razor sharp leaves the blonde had gathered where the leaves an the water mixed together where the pressure from the water enhanced the leaves cutting power where they pierced into Sasuke's **Susanoo** enhanced tiger.

But the tiger was fine as it's defences were vastly increased. Then the two parties charged at each other in a blinding light.

* * *

Later, their battle was coming to an end. Both opponents were pushed to their absolute limits and power, their clothes were burnt and were hanging limply, just barely clinging to their bodies. They had oozing wounds from the attacks they dealt to each other, their hair was caked with blood and their bodies were covered in bruises and both were panting heavily.

The environment around them was barren and grey and all life had been exterminated from the area, there was little to no colour, the trees were gone and the mountains looked like they had been filed down into ash, the scene would make anyone gasp at the hideousness, dark clouds were gathering over the area, blocking the light and darkening the sky, the ground was grey and cracked almost as if someone had literally broken it like glass, whenever someone would walk over it the tiniest dust cloud would be upturned where they stepped.

It was just an ugly sight, through and through. Everything was just flat and dull, and would remain that way.

Now both fighters were facing each other, no special powers, no flickering flames, just the two of them.

For Sasuke, the powers of Senjutsu, were enough to rival his visual prowess granted by the Sharingan and Rinnegan. He had to use his key abilities to keep the powers of Sage mode at bay, such as the **Gakid****ō (Preta path)** and the **Tendō (Deva path)** but he was still overwhelmed by the power of Senjutsu.

For Naruto the Sage modes innate ability to empower all the users abilities were enough to match the powers of visual jutsu, even visual prowess as strong as Sasuke's. Without their respective powers such as Rinnegan and Senjutsu they would be equal in every way. Naruto had to resort to every one of his jutsu to combat Sasuke, his kekki genkai and his space-time ninjutsu being key in the battle.

Sasuke currently had his left eye closed and the Sharingan in his right eye was currently deactivated, however, he was still standing strong and had just barely enough chakra. He was currently holding his trademark sword in his hand which had droplets of blood on it.

Naruto was still in his **Rikud****ō Senjutsu **form only the weaker version and without the chakra shroud, but nature energy was as much a part of him as he was to nature, although from using his special form, **Rikudō Senjutsu (Six Paths Sage technique)** he was worn out and on the verge of collapse. Not even his empowered healing jutsu were enough to keep him standing, and his left arm was currently limp and unusable. Naruto only had one of his staves in his only uninjured arm.

"This time, the sun shall set on it's final day." whispered Sasuke and then he charged at Naruto who performed the same action and both met in a clash of metal and sparks, and both fighters streaked across the ground before coming to a stop, leaving trails of grey dust behind them, however Naruto fell to the ground his face covered in dirt, while Sasuke was standing tall and proud.

"Finally, the moon has shadowed the sun, and this time, I am standing, victorious, while you lay there in the ground, pathetic." spoke Sasuke as he turned to the downed from of Naruto who was breathing heavily.

Naruto tried to pick himself up off the ground with his one remaining arm, but, he was currently twitching his left fingers and he was still holding his staff.

"We finally reached our dreams, are you going to throw that all away? Just for a petty reason? What about your family? Your children? Do they mean anything to you?" questioned Naruto as he laid on the ground.

Sasuke closed his eyes in contemplation and immediately images of his children appeared in his mind, his two sons and his daughter. Izumi, his youngest and his only daughter, Hata, his youngest son and middle child, and Yoru his oldest son and heir to the Uchiha clan. He loved all of them equally just as much as he loved his older brother Itachi, they were the only family he had left, after Sasuke's wife died giving birth to Izumi.

He raised them from that point onward as a single father. But still.

"They won't be safe in Konoha, no Uchiha shall be, what I am doing, I am doing for their sake." spoke Sasuke as he walked toward the still downed form of the leader of the Senju clan.

Naruto was currently tightening his left fist, only subtle actions that Sasuke wouldn't pick up on.

"The only way to ensure their safety is to make people fear the Uchiha. Fear and power lead to peace, that is the only way to keep my family safe and fulfil what our ancestors tried to accomplish." continued Sasuke as he was standing over Naruto.

"You speak like your ancestors, have you not learned from the mistakes of our past lives. Not truly knowing the value of people. The only way to understand how the world works and what people truly think, is to interact with them, we must experience what makes a person a person, understanding others cannot be forced, it is something someone must live with and through living it we discover that human life is precious, and I will do anything to protect it. True peace is attained through kindness, understanding and cooperation." monologued Naruto, in an attempt to make Sasuke change his mind.

"Then, just as always, you are indeed a fool." spoke Sasuke as he prepared to stab Naruto and end his life.

Naruto just closed his eyes and readied himself for Sasuke's final attack. The blonde channelled a controlled amount of chakra into his one staff, making a clicking vibration, he scrunched up his left ready to attack.

Just as Sasuke thrusted his sword, Naruto got onto his feet and with his left arm and Senjutsu enhanced strength shattered Sasuke's sword with single strike and one of the halves of his short staff fell to the ground, revealing a blade just as long as the now missing half of the staff.

And with precise aim and speed, Naruto stabbed Sasuke in the side, where his left ribcage is, making the Uchiha gasp in surprise and pain and blood to leak out of his mouth. Sasuke turned his head and stared at Naruto in shock, shock because of what had transpired and surprise.

"You!?" gasped Sasuke and grunted in agony at the feeling of Naruto's hidden sword in his side.

"I will protect my home, my people, my friends and my family, if anyone threatens the things closest to me, I'll kill them, nor will they receive my forgiveness." spoke Naruto as his eyes instinctively darkened.

"You're like water, Naruto, always changing, but whether changing for the best or worst, depends on perspective." spoke Sasuke as his muscles turned against him and he was about to hit the ground.

However he felt something catch him before he could hit the ground. And he found his face, being cradled upon Naruto's shoulder. And he could feel Naruto's right arm around his back, supporting him. Naruto, still showed compassion, even now, to his enemy. Sasuke, although he couldn't see it, he could feel, the sorrow flowing off the blonde haired sage.

And while Naruto was cradling Sasuke's body, the sage's tears were silently and slowly, flowing down his cheeks. He remembered, everything, from the time he truly met Sasuke Uchiha, to the blonde falling in love but not before having some girlfriend troubles that came with the teenage years, he remembered the birth of his first child which was also the day his arm got broken by his wife while going through labour.

He remembered it all too well.

"Do you remember, the day we truly met for the first time?" spoke Naruto and at that moment, the grey clouds over the sky came plummeting down atop the two gods, washing away their blood, grime and the tears, almost as if the sky was trying to comfort them or condemn them, didn't it truly matter at the moment.

"As if it was Yesterday." whispered Sasuke as he closed his eyes.

"...You will always be my brother."

Naruto's salty tears mingled with those of the rain, washing them away as if they were washing the his sins of his form.

Then everything around them, started disappearing, the grey, barren wasteland vanished as if ripples fell over the world and soon they too vanished like rushing waves.

And the images of Naruto and Sasuke were gone, leaving nothing but a pool of glistening water, not even a reflection was seen.

* * *

"From what I have perceived I anticipate that the transmigration has almost concluded and Asura and Indra, shall be reborn in new contemporary arbitrators." spoke a floating man to nothing in particular as he removed his elaborate staff from the water.

"The discrepancy between their personalities, psyche and temperament likewise their capabilities, expertise and proficiency with their respective powers also differentiates itself in many ways, Naruto Senju and Sasuke Uchiha, are fascinating indeed." spoke the man as he kept staring into the water.

This man, while forgotten by time and culture, was very much a god as one can expect. He had given hope to many that thought it didn't exist, he made peace in a world consumed by war and his own power was enough to shatter the world in two. Anybody who threatened him or his family were basically begging to be killed.

The old man, was so powerful, his chakra, the power built up inside of every person, that he could literally transcend time and space as if he was skateboarding down a street.

The old man was a tall man even in his old age. He had deep wrinkles, a long goatee reaching down to his waist, and short, greyish-red shaggy hair, which spiked up at the top and a chin-length braid hanging in-front of his left ear. The man had pronounced eyebrow ridges with small horn-like protrusions above them, as well as a red ripple-like marking in the centre of his forehead and also grey skin that seemed to match his ancient look.

He wore a white, full-length kimono with a pattern of six black magatama around his high collar, beneath which he wore a black necklace which was made of six black magatama, one the back of his kimono was a larger ripple-like marking with a pattern of nine magatama arranged in three rows beneath it.

This man was one of the most revered figures in history. He was literally stright out of stories and myths, the Sage of the Six paths Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, son of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. For millennium he had been watching his two sons fight their eternal struggle. One out of jeaousy and hatred and the other out of defence and love.

Indra and Asura, the moon and the sun, the tiger and the dragon, Yin and Yang. Two opposites that cannot live without the other.

Hagoromo looked up from the water and inspected the world around him for the possibly the millionth time. He was surrounded by water, not the raging oceans and storm shattering waves of the wild seas, but the calmness and serenity of a gentle lake, he looked up into the sky, inspecting the stars above him, glinting light and shining it over the darkness.

He looked behind him to see a crescent moon, never moving and changing and a bit beside it was a dimmed sun, shining ever so brightly, but not enough to light up the realm he was in. This plane of space was unaccessible by any who didn't have a 'certain' chakra. This was a realm for beings who were above gods.

But the beauty and majesty of it almost felt like it could make any person feel like a king. Maybe this was heaven, maybe it was just another dimension of earth. Did it truly matter? Since he was alone, but sometimes he would get visits from other transmigrants every now and then, but all he needed was the peace and calm. Something which he wasn't afforded during his lifetime because of the endless wars and raising two boys, one calm, stern and focused, the other rambunctious, cheerful and exuberant.

Sometimes he would give anything just to relive the times and trials of raising the two people he loved more than anything in the world.

But now he was watching them again, reincarnated into two new individuals, however what he saw in the water was only a possible fate, and from what he knew of fate, was that it was changeable, like the wind.

But he knew, above all else that the two boys have the capacity to end, the cycle of hatred and bring about an armistice between his two sons or their destinies will be that of bloodshed, and hatred.

"I can only hope, that those two, will bring about an end, to everything." spoke Hagoromo, knowing and wanting more than ever, that his sons will bring about the peace he had dreamed of for so long.

* * *

Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves. Founded during the Warring States period, by two of the worlds strongest shinobi, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Konohagakure, set an example across the world, with many shinobi clans imitating that same example of the Senju and Uchiha clans, Konoha was praised for ending wars in the worlds, the most prevalent wars being the cold war of Asura and Indra's descendants.

Konoha was the strongest and oldest village, no one could question that, even the other major villages that had imitated Konoha would admit that, but it didn't stop them from trying to gain the upper hand over the Leaf village. An example of their strength would be their continued victories in the Shinobi world wars.

Iwa felt that they were the strongest, since Konoha was barely defending itself from their organised military.

However Konoha still won the war, even though the losses were great. This is why, as the strongest village, Konoha was blossoming with trade, profit, peaceful existence and above all happy times.

Madara and Hashirama's dream had finally become a reality, old rivals and bitter enemies were now friends and above all family. Old prejudices were turned away in favour of friendships and good greetings. People would wish for each other's safety and hope they would return home from their missions.

But above all Asura's ideals of cooperation and love was widely accepted within the village, an ideal that Hashirama called 'The Will of Fire', people would choose to live by it, an ideal that many believed to be an integral part of Konoha's power, the Will of Fire stated that the village were the people's family, and that every shinobi of Konoha would love, cherish and fight for their village to protect it just as their ancestors had done. According to the Sandaime Hokage, the Will of Fire gives people the power to believe, to continue fighting despite the odds that they may never win, it was a testament to their willpower and strength.

But now, peace was met and Konoha was prospering greatly from that peace.

The Third Shinobi World War had ended and the Yondaime Hokage had been chosen, Minato Namikaze, the main driving force in their victory against Iwa was chosen to take up the mantle of such an important role in the village.

Minato was an exceptionally powerful shinobi, that many had a flee on sight order, so their lives could be spared. Minato was one of the most gifted shinobi to have ever lived, his power easily rivalling that of the previous Hokage maybe even surpassing his predecessor, Hiruzen Sarutobi, a man reputed as the 'Shinobi no kami (god of Shinobi)' the very same title that Hashirama Senju had held during his lifetime.

Although there were other candidates that some felt were more suited to be Hokage, such as Orochimaru and Jiraiya of the Sannin, student of Hiruzen, Minato quickly changed the thoughts and doubts of the people through his actions as the village was ever growing stronger and more prosperous by the day under the blonde mans care.

Minato above all, was seen as one of the greatest Hokage to ever live and in a few years during his reign, he may also receive the title of Shinobi no kami. But still, sometimes Minato would hope that something exciting would happen every now and then, since paperwork was far too troublesome.

* * *

Right now, Minato was sitting in his office, with Hiruzen and his two advisor's Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. They were currently a discussing a topic of heated debate, one that could make or break Konoha if it happened.

"I can only assume that the talks with Suna went down smoothly." spoke Hiruzen who was currently puffing on his pipe, loving the feel of tobacco filling his lungs. "Konoha would benefit greatly with an alliance with Suna, and the Kazekage would also benefit from some of Konoha's resources which their village sourly needs, such as medicinal herbs and water."

"I spoke with the Yondaime Kazekage personally, although he was rather blunt and impatient he also wished for a compromise between our respective wants and needs. Although he did make snide remarks about Konoha." spoke Minato, earning a frown from Homura and Koharu. "we were able to agree to a peace and alliance treaty between our villages, one of them being that we will trade some of our resources to Suna for their benefit, just enough os they can stabilise their situation, and the other that the respective village's would come to each other's aid, should we be attacked from other forces."

"Well, at least, we won't have to consider Suna our enemy for now." spoke Homura, who was a little pleased with the outcome. "But given our own wealth, I suppose we won't have to demand anything in return from the ninja of the Sand village."

"But also, our own military might has been rapidly growing with the introductions of the Hagormo clan, Iburi clan, and the Fūma clan. With the full devotion from the Kohaku clan, their ninja are already trying to prove themselves loyal to the village, most likely to gain power and status amongst their fellow clans." spoke Koharu, who was a little pleased at more ninja clans joining Konoha and therefor making it stronger.

"Either that or they're grateful that they now have a true home and wish to show their gratefulness by bringing in more funds for the village. But we can't deny that those clans will be essential to the power of Konoha." spoke Homura.

"The Fūma clan were surrounded by enemies from all sides and without a village backing them, they would have quickly been eliminated by Kumogakure, if we hadn't stepped in, one of the worlds strongest clans would have joined another village, or their friends, six ft in the ground." spoke Hiruzen, and he too saw the wisdom in what Minato had done, aiding to Fūma as he was gaining their loyalty through sending shinobi to assist them, although their were losses, they were made up for them by the Fūma clan wishing to join Konoha.

"The Kohaku clan were always hesitant at allowing their full might to join, Konoha, but with a little charisma and a lot of persuasion, I was able to have them join us, and according to reports, they are even happy." spoke Minato with a large grin, just smiling at the prospect of new friends seemed to make him giddy.

"However, the Hagoromo clan, have always had bitter resentment towards the leaf, maybe because they weren't initially invited to join the village, during the Shodaime's reign, or because their enemies the Senju clan helped found it." said Homura trying to discern the Hagoromo clans motives in joining Konoha.

"We were able to snuff out any resentment that the Hagoromo clan had towards Konoha, by giving them their own compound and place within the village, a home, something which they desperately wanted in the end. That should keep them happy in the long run, but, it may be a while before we have their loyalty." spoke Hiruzen, and even Minato knew he was right, since things such as new alliances were volatile at best, he hoped that like his previous Hokage, they could gain the Hagoromo clans friendship.

"And what of the Iburi clan. Given their weak bodies and unstable but yet powerful kekki genkai, something must have been worked out." questioned Koharu, over the Yondaime's actions.

"Don't worry about the Iburi, I know full well of what ails them, and I have one of the best working on their problem." reassured Minato as he turned around in his chair slightly.

"May I ask who?" queried Homura, which made Hiruzen smile and Minato to grin slightly.

"Well, you know, I just asked Tsunade for a few favours and she was wiling to come back." spoke Minato making Homura nad Koharu gasp in surprise.

"She's back in the village, how? Why? I thought she would never return." spoke Homura in shock at what he had just heard.

"She's not resuming her shinobi duties, but I was able to work out a compromise, she'll instead be taking control and working at the hospital, treating how shinobi and civilians, although she did say that she had lost faith in her medical skill... well lets just say she took a gamble, and lost." spoke Minato with a small grin.

* * *

At the hospital, Tsunade, the greatest kunoichi in the world was currently caring to an injured child who had broken her arm when trying to rescue her pet cat from a tree.

The child had come in screaming and crying, frightened for her arm which was throbbing in pain. Tsunade spent a good ten minutes trying to calm the poor girl down so she could treat her injury. She had to sing a lullaby that her father once sang to her when she was a little girl, the child was only four years old but the busty blonde could at least give it a try.

And to her own surprise the child had calmed down by the time Tsunade had reached the third verse. She then applied medical ninjutsu and was able to repair the damage to the girls arm.

"There you go." said Tsunade softly as she was wrapping a bandage around the small girls arm. Tsunade then turned to the mother of the girl who had a look of relief and happiness on her face.

"All you have to do is change the bandages weekly for three weeks, other than that, she'll be just fine." spoke Tsunade with a small smile.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama." said the mother taking her daughter's hand in her own.

"Bye bye miss." said the little waving at Tsunader who waved back with a small smile.

Things had certainly changed for Tsunade when she came back to the village, well it was more like Minato dragging he ass back to her home and knocking some sense into her.

When Minato had first appeared to her at some gambling den where of course, she was gambling her money away and getting herself dead drunk on sake. He asked her to return to the village and to serve as it's chief medic and advise the other medics and among other things. She had explained to him that she was no more less interested in going back to Konoha than to give away all her money for any reason other than gambling.

But knowing Minato ever since his childhood since her former teammate Jiraiya had introduced her to Minato and his own teammates. She knew that the blonde man was as determined as you can get, so for a week he travelled with her, well more like stalked her until he got his answer. Everyday she would wake up and she would see Minato waiting for her answer. If only she could flatten him like a bulldozer, but she knew that would get her in more trouble than she was worth.

Eventually he came up with a compromise, well technically it was the same question he was asking her. She said right to his face, that she would never return as a shinobi of Konoha, but Minato retorted with the fact that he just asked her to be the head-medic and not a shinobi on the front lines or performing missions and such. She felt so stupid, that she didn't ask for any other details on what Minato wanted.

But what she didn't know was the blonde mans ulterior motive in asking her to return. Minato, was a shrewd man, who never did anything without a clear purpose, he knew that if Tsunade would return to being a medic than maybe she could find solace and healing through the physical healing of others. Although she didn't answer him after finding out what he really wanted, he still had to drag her back to the village.

So now here she was, and she had to say, that maybe returning to Konoha was actually a good idea. It gave her happiness to know that she was bringing happiness to others through simply healing cuts and bruises to saving lives and repairing mortal injuries, sometimes she would just watch the tears of relief trail down peoples faces knowing that their loved ones were still with them.

This was one of the reason's to why she became a medic of renown, one to follow and be like her legendary grandfather, who was reputed to be the greatest medic in the world, capable of healing himself and others without forming seals, they just to be in his presence to be healed, and she would admit in a heartbeat that she was no where near his level, but she was able to replicate his abilities through various means such as her summonings and her **Byakugō no In (Strength of a hundred seal)**.

The other reason was to make people happy, seeing their smiles and joyous laughs. A light would warm up in her, like a small sun, a heartbeat. Life was indeed cruel, but it could also be the greatest thing in the world. But creating life, yourself, that maybe one of the most perfect things in the world. When she looked back on her life, Tsunade knew that she had missed out on so many things. But the one she felt the most remorse for was, being a mother, she wanted to be one so much, she wanted to love a child and that child to love her unconditionally in return. The Senju line would die with her, the last of the mighty clan.

Would her parents, her grandparents be disappointed in her for not continuing the clan of a thousand hands. But she didn't care, she was the last Senju, and she would do what she wanted.

She heard a knock that snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Tsunade-sama?" said a voice, The blonde haired Senju turned her head to see her apprentice, the niece of her late lover Dan. Shizune.

That was one person she took with her when Dan died, Shizune his only living relative, Dan's sister had died on a mission and Shizune's father died before she was born leaving Dan to care for her as the last of her family, but when Dan died Tsunade took it upon herself to raise Shizune, who loyally followed her as her student and attendant, even though the black haired girl would become exasperated with her master's gambling habits.

"Tsuande-sama, the Yondaime is here to see you." spoke Shizune who was currently holding several files and folders in her hand.

"Fine, send him in Shizune." spoke Tsunade, a little depressed since she was broken from her thoughts. Tsunade let her thoughts travel again, but this time to Minato, she didn't know what to think of the man, but she would say that she was thankful to him for bringing her back to Konoha.

She then saw Minato, her Yondaime walk into her office, with that bright smile and his golden hair bouncing around.

"Tsunade, how is the progress on the Iburi's kekki genkai?" asked Minato happily as he entered the busty blonde haired woman's office. Although she was irked that he just barged into her office without a care in the world, he could at least knock, maybe if she threw a mug at him, that would teach him a lesson.

"The Iburi's kekki genkai is like nothing I have seen before, it's highly unstable and uncontrollable, from research, it seems that the kekki genkai manifests itself in the younger generations among the clan and is seemingly stronger too, it works on a similar basis to the Hōzuki clan, where their shinobi can transform their bodies into water." spoke Tsunade as she took out a clipboard that held the information on the Iburi clan. "My research seems to suggest that the only way to stabilise the kekki genkai is through the use of advanced and powerful Fūinjutsu, and this seal would also have the effect of returning the Iburi's dispersed form and coalesce it back into a solid form, as usually the case in the clan, is that dispersion equals death, although they wouldn't be the best opponents against wind users this fūinjutsu must work in a way that returns the dispersed chakra back into the solid body."

"Well, I can probably figure out a way, although I will have to utilise research of my own and with some help from Kushina." said Minato while rubbing his head nervously.

"Kushina? Are you talking about that cute, fiery red-head that use to scream about becoming Hokage to the entire world?" questioned Tsunade as she raised her eyebrow at her Hokage.

"The one and the same." spoke Minato with a forced smile and some sweat rolling down his neck, however after years of being a kunoichi and having expertise in psychology, Tsunade could immediately tell that something was bothering the Hokage, of course it was like someone shoved a neon sign in her face.

"What happened between you two? The last time I heard, you two were hitting it off." queried Tsunade as she took out a sake bottle from one of her draws and two cups.

"Well I'd rather not say, it's a bit too personal." said Minato obviously feeling uncomfortable about the while thing.

"Sit down, this is obviously going to take a while." spoke Tsunade already pouring the sake into the cup.

"I'm really sorry, but really I can't." said Minato crouching a little and holding his hands out in front of him.

"Sit!" ordered Tsauned releasing a small amount of killing intent at the Hokage. Minato deflated a little and breathed a heavy sigh before drooping down into a chair opposite Tsunade where he grasped the small cup in his hand. "So whats going on with you two? Really?"

"Well, how can I say this... I proposed to Kushina." said Minato who's face took a passive expression.

"Then, why are you moping around like you are. It's not like she said 'no'." said Tsunade taking a swig of her sake. However seeing Minato's solemn face only confirmed Tsunade's worst and last thoughts. "She really did say 'no'."

"I even had the ring ready and everything. I proposed to her on the Hokage tower, everything was perfect, but she said no and ran off." confessed Minato as he himself took a swig of sake and then gestured for Tsunade to pour some more sake. "She didn't even give me a good reason 'why' she said no."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can emphasise with something like that." spoke Tsunade showing genuine care for the golden blonde in-front of her, which made Minato grin a little.

"But still, whats done is done, don't beat yourself up over it, then plenty of birds in the sky. I'm sure you may find someone else, if not just get over Kushina and focus on your Hokage duties." said Tsunade providing some advice for the young kage.

"May you be one of those birds in the sky?" playfully questioned Minato, now a little happier at hearing Tsunade's advice.

"Haha, it will be a thousand years before that happens. Besides as if you can get your hands on 'this'." said Tsunade gesturing to her whole body making Minato laugh a little.

And so without saying anything, they continued to drink their troubles away, one bottle after the other. And soon without realising it, both were completely drunk, their movements, thoughts and actions were uncontrollable .

"What... was it you said? Tsunade... about... getting my hands on you." spoke a slurred Minato as he took another swig of alcohol.

"I... said... something like that, maybe, you can try if you like." spoke Tsunade with a hint of allure in her voice and revealing some of her ample bosom to her fellow blonde.

Primal instincts and the laws of nature coming over Minato, he swiftly pinned Tsunade to her desk and quickly stripped her of her clothes and both began to experience the pleasures of their actions... and their consequences.

* * *

A few hours later and for some unknown and yet magical reason, no one seemed to disturb them during their 'exercise'. Light shone through the window of Tsunade's office, hitting her in the face, making her groan in complaint. She opened her eyes wearily and was blinded by the rays of the sun.

She tried to sit herself up only for a massive headache to hit her, as if running into a brick wall. She then noticed that she was bare naked, the only thing seemingly covering her modesty was her green haori that was just barely covering her 'sacred' places.

She searched around her room, and some of her items in her office were scrambled about and were in odd places, she then checked herself over to find that her lipstick was smudged, her hair was dishevelled and all the other things you will find after a certain practice.

Her brown then landed on a bare back that was sitting a bit away from her. She could tell it was a male because of the body shape and he had a coat with red flame motifs covering his own modesty and he had golden sun hair that could-

'oh my god.' thought Tsunade, regaining her memory over what had transpired. There were questions thrown back and forth, drinking and lust.

She should chide herself for being so foolish and unprofessional. It all came to her, like a wave crashing down upon her. She had just slept with the Yondaime Hokage.

She did what any hormonal fangirl or fear-stricken woman would do. She screamed.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Tsunade probably loud enough for the entire village to hear, the high volume of her voice did the job in waking her companion who jolted from his sleep and was met wit ha splitting headache and a mortified busty blonde haired woman.

"Tsunade? What are you doing in my house?" asked Minato with squinted eyes while rubbing his blonde hair.

"We're not in your house, You're in my office." grunted Tsunade with flames flickering off her form.

"Really? The what happened after we got drunk?" questioned Minato as he got off the ground while still shielding himself with his coat.

"YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME WHEN I WAS DRUNK!" shouted Tsunade at the top of her lungs while pointing an accusating finger at her Hokage.

"I RESENT THAT THAT ACCUSATION!" shouted back Minato.

"BUT YOU DON't DENY IT!" replied Tsunade which made Minato stop and pause to think about what she said.

"We-" before he could actually say anything, he saw a book flying towards his face and if it wasn't for his great speed it would have smacked him right in the face. He then saw a pencil pot also fly towards him and he ducked at that also.

He then looked at up to see Tsunade standing up still shielding herself with her haori and just randomly and blindly throwing things at him while flames of female fury were licking themselves off her form. He was dodging and ducking trying not to be hit by the books, pencils, chairs and any weapons Tsunade had on her while also trying to get changed into his clothes.

Two months later, nothing had really changed for Tsunade or Minato, although things were incredibly awkward between the two of them, they had told no one what had transpired, and it seems that no one would find out.

They had also successfully stabilised the Iburi's kekki genkai where they could reform even if their form was dispersed by wind, through powerful chakra based seals. And right now, everyone was happy in the Hidden Leaf Village, it almost seemed as if nothing could go wrong.

* * *

Tsunade was currently in her office, writing off reports for her patients. It had been two months since 'that' incident and even Tsunade knew, that something was wrong, she had been getting dizzy, nauseous sometimes she would nearly faint. She knew of one of two things she was experiencing, and she only hoped it wasn't what she thought it was and if so, it would cause a huge scandal in the village maybe some trouble outside of it also.

She was about to sign another document before a wave of nausea washed over her, quickly reacted she only had a split second before she threw up in the bin vomiting up the breakfast she ate that morning. Being a medic she knew what it was, she only hoped that she wasn't what she dreaded.

A few hours later Tsunade had met with Shizune because she was the only person she trusted with such delicate knowledge.

So now Tsunade was wearing a hospital gown and was having a medical checkup being performed by Shizune. This checkup was to confirm or deny what Tsunade had been fearing for the past two months.

Shizune was sending medical chakra into Tsunade's navel, searching for the thing which would make sense of everything.

And there Shizune found it, a small but fast beating pulse, then it was true. Shizune had first thought that Tsunade was anemic, but no, it wasn't as simple as that.

"Congratulations, Tsunade-sama, you're going to be a mother." spoke softly and a little happy at the prospect believing that her master can finally achieve happiness in her life by raising another.

Tsunade got up into a sitting position, digesting the news she had just been given. On one hand she was unbelievably angry at Minato for knocking her up, she felt like she had to march over to the Hokage tower and make the blonde haired man into a human pretzel and would live the rest of his life eating through a tube.

While on the other hand she felt like she should break down and cry, not in sadness or regret but over sheer happiness, she finally got what she wanted the entire time, although she was slightly disappointed that the father of her child wasn't her late lover, Dan. But it changed very little as it was her child, a life she helped to create. She could be a mother, maybe she could finally be happy.

But this also created a certain problem. Telling the father. Knowing Minato he might just faint at the news.

But right now, the feeling she was feeling most was most likely anger.

So now she was stomping towards the Hokage tower, intent on confronting the father of her child. Shizune was trying to calm Tsunade with Tsunade's pet pig Tonton also trying to comfort her master.

However it seems as if Tsunade was on autopilot. Many civilians who were in her way started clearing the area as the woman's footsteps were shakign the ground around everyone making some seek shelter from the wrathful Senju survivor.

One such individual being the Uchiha matriarch Mikoto Uchiha who only stared in surprise seeing Senju leader stomping away through the village, and you could clearly see the large belly she had symbolising that she was with child the same as Tsunade. However Mikoto's good sense got the better of her and decided to stay out of Tsunade's way.

Minato was currently in his office speaking with Hiruzen, Koharu and Homura and were discussing their recently successful missions with the village's new clans, Homura and Koharu especially were happy since this only made the village stronger and it seemed like something that their shadowy friend of theirs would enjoy.

"So Minato, have you heard the requests we have been receiving to heal the Kurama clan's new heir, Murakumo's daughter, Yakumo Kurama who had just been recently born.

"Yes, apparently the Kurama heiress, Yakumo, was born with a weak body that prohibits the bodily requirements of being a shinobi, however, there may be a way to fix that, if we have Tsunade to look into it." spoke Minato telling his advisors of his plans.

"That would be acceptable, given her medical mastery." said Homura, agreeing with Minato on the subject.

Minato reached for his cup of water which was by his side, but when he was about to grasp it, the cup shook ever so slightly and it shook again, the water in the cup becoming disturbed.

Then he felt a sharp sting in his back, it didn't hurt but he knew that it was quite an ominous feeling and his body froze almost as if it was encased in ice. Hiruzen seeing Minato pause knew that something was coming, and that something was gunning for Minato specifically.

They then felt the entire office shake, things milling about the room were crashing to the floor and shaking spontaneously. All three higher ups turned their heads to the closed doors of the Hokage office and the shaking and the giant pulses only grew in size and strength, they could hear muffled talk from a high pitched voice and some oinking but the voices had little to o effect on the miniature earthquakes shaking through the tower.

And suddenly the pulsing stopped and nothing could be heard or felt through the office.

But all that changed when the door to the Hokage office went flying off it's hinges and straight over the heads of the people in the room who were currently gaping like fish out of water at what was happening.

However Minato was sweating incredibly at the sight before his eyes.

An amazingly irate Tsunade with glowing red eyes and black flames of the power known as female fury flickering off her, with what appeared to be a demonic face being made from the flames whose eyes were currently boring into those of Minato who he briefly mistook for death at the moment.

Shizune and Tonton meanwhile were peaking on the side of the wall only hoping that everyone would walk, mostly unscathed from this event.

Regaining his pride, and stoic Hokage demeanor, Minato knew that he would have to confront Tsunade, even if it might kill him.

"Tsunade... Can this wait, I'm currently meeting with my advisors." spoke Minato ignoring everything around him and the numerous cracks and holes in the walls and corridors of his tower and the broken window along with his now missing door.

"I need to talk to you." said Tsunade who was currently grinding her teeth, obviously trying not to do something that would cause an insurmountable amount of trouble.

"Um, ok, talk." said Minato and quietly gestured to his ANBU that protected him to stand down, so they probably wouldn't die or lose some limbs in the process.

"In private." said Tsunade crossing her arms under her bust.

"Im sorry Tsunade, but we are having a necessary meeting as to how the village will be adjusting to the new arrivals of the recent clans joining our village." spoke Hiruzen as he puffed on his pipe.

"Well then, I guess I have to say it out loud... You knocked me up." said Tsunade bluntly to Minato whose mind failed to compute what she just said, while Koharu and Homura's jaws dropped to the ground utterly flabbergasted at what she just said. Hiruzen gave every ounce of his willpower not to burst out laughing at the faces of Homura and Koharu or fainting after hearing that his student was pregnant with his successor's child.

However, Tsunade barely hid her anger at the expressions the three had (excluding Hiruzen). She didn't want to tell Koharu and Homura but since they were having such an 'important' meeting that they had to be there when she dropped the news.

"But, there must be a mistake, I mean how could we." said Minato completely overcome by the news.

"It's called sex, it's usually how babies are made, right?" replied Tsunade sarcastically, right now from what Minato said, it didn't seem like he wanted to be the father of her child, he possibly didn't want anything to with it.

"I, I see." said Minato who was looking dow nat the ground. Nobody could see his expression and his face was shadowed.

"Yondaime?" questioned Koharu who saw the state her leader was in.

"Are, are you going to abort it?" asked Minato with a hint of sincerity. But little did he know that his words were conveying the wrong feelings to what he had.

"Abort it? You mean kill it before it even has a chance to live." whispered Tsunade, and of course being pregnant it means she of course was susceptible to hormones and mood swings where even the smallest amount of words can turn an innocent butterfly it a raging hornet. Soon small amounts of tears began dripping off her cheeks, just the mere thought of killing her baby just seemed to fill with nothing but misery, she had been carrying the small being inside of her for two months now, and she would admit it as if she was admitting the tragedies in her life, that she loved her unborn child more than anything in the world. "If you think, i'm going to kill this baby, even if you don't want it, then don't be a part of it's life as I will not kill it just because it's convenient for you." hissed Tsunade her anger growing at the blonde hokage like a rising flame.

"No." whispered Minato and now Tsunade could now see tears falling down his face. "I don't want you to abort, to be truthful, I'm happy, happier then I've ever been, yes I'm shocked but, well maybe this can work out." said Minato raising his head looking Tsunade straight into her eyes.

"Because I'm going to be father."

And with those few words Tsuande's doubts and anger quickly subsided and was replaced with relief, knowing that Minato won't abandon the child.

"This is truly tremendous news. A Senju heir at last." spoke a voice which made a cold chill run down the spine of everyone in the room.

All five occupants looked behind them to see Danzō Shimura, standing in-front of Shizune while the black haired girl looked uneasy.

"Danzō." said Minato carefully.

"Yondaime." replied the bandaged man.

"How long have you been skulking there Danzō?" questioned Hiuzen adopting a dangerous look in his eye.

"Just enough to understand the situation." responded the ROOT commander. "I was on my way to the tower while I was walking through the halls I noticed that nearly hall of them had large cracks and holes in it, and when I saw Tsunade's apprentice it confirmed my beliefs." spoke Danzō more politely than what he was known for saying.

"However the news of such a thing, it's truly pleasing." spoke Danzō obviously telling the truth to what he was spouting. "A child of the most powerful and feared clan in the world whose father just happens to be the most powerful and feared man in the world already confirms the child's talent and potential." said Danzō talking about Minato and Tsunade's child as if it was a thing and not a person.

"I don't see how such a thing would involve you Danzō." said Homura, wondering on what Danzō's plans were, as the Senju clans hopes and dreams now rest on this child, since he found unlikely that Minato and Tsunade would have any more children.

"It already does, as I have had my ROOT agents spread word throughout the village informing the people and shinobi that one of their two founding clans will continue to live. I think you can already hear the cries of joy from within this room." said Danzō making Minato and Tsunade grit their teeth and rage to fuel their eyes as that certain information was incredibly personal and scandalous.

Hiruzen, hearing what Danzō had done stood up from his chair and looked the black haired man in the eye.

"You had little right to do that Danzō, how dare you leak such personal news, even before the parents were comfortable enough to share them." berated Hiruzen at his old friend.

"It is for the good of the village and the good of the people to know that the Shodaime will have a living legacy." spoke Danzō trying to justify his reasons for leaking the information.

"I have to agree with Hiruzen on this matter, the villagers would have found out eventually but this wasn't the right time for it, it may also cause an overwhelming amount of trouble for the other villages who might learn of this information, and add to the fact that Tsunade was uncomfortable even telling the father, I doubt she also wouldn't be comfortable having everyone in the village know that she is with child." said Koharu supporting the Senju leader and the Hokage.

"Also this situation is delicate, it must be handled with tact, otherwise the while thing may be blown out of proportion, and the last thing we need is to stress Tsunade while she is carrying an important package. Also, we could have just revealed that Tsunade is pregnant and withhold the information of the Yondaime being the father, things may have been easier, but with you leaking this information the other villages may take violent action, they may feel threatened by the arrival of a new Senju in the world, one with great potential, such as Kumo, or will take militaristic movements against Konoha for what Minato did during the war and the hundreds of shinobi he slaughtered, I know that Ōnoki the Sandaime Tsuchikage will not take this news tenderly." said Homura relaying the consequences of everyone's actions.

"Then so be it, I will have my ROOT agents monitor Tsunade and protect her from threats of need be until the heir is born." responded Danzō not caring for the other village's intentions but his own, he was currently plotting something devious, and I'm pretty sure you all know what he wants by now.

And still Shizune has said nothing to contribute to this entire conversation.

"Enough!" shouted Tsunade not liking how the conversation was mainly revolving around her and yet no one seems to care what she thought "First of all, I'm not helpless, I'm pregnant, it doesn't make me any more dangerous than how I was before I got knocked up. And I don't want your drones following me around and reporting my every move to you."

"I agree with Tsunade." Said Minato, as he didn't like the idea of Danzō's men spying on Tsunade 24/7. "Besides, I think there is someone much more suited for the job at protecting Tsunade."

"I don't need protection." grunted Tsunade with her arms still crossed under her bust.

"You will need protection when you're nine months pregnant and can't move as well as you used to." deadpanned Minato to which Tsunade had no retort. "Please come out Kakashi." said Minato where a boy no old than thirteen appeared wearing the standard gear of the ANBU black ops and a mask that resembled a dogs face.

"I'm pretty sure you know of everything correct?" queried Minato where the young ANBU member nodded. "Do you accept this mission?" asked Minato with a slightly stern gaze as he was assigning Kakashi to protect his unborn child, to which Kakashi nodded again symbolising his acceptance and quickly disappeared from sight.

"He's a talkative one." commented Tsunade. Although she was a little irked that she was being watched as if she was a fragile doll, she was relieved that it was someone Minato trusted and not any of Danzō's men.

"Kakashi can be trusted, he's just going through a few troubling things thats all." assured Minato easing some of Tsunade's doubts.

"Well given all the excitement thats happened today, I think should head back to my compound, I'm getting really tired, not sure if it's from the pregnancy or something else." said Tsunade who was walking out of the room but not before casting a suspicious eye on Danzō. Tsunade bid goodbye to her sensei and left the Hokage tower with Shizune and her pet pig Tonton in tow.

"Now, all we need is to fix the damages to Hokage tower that Tsunade made." said Hiruzen casting a small grin which made everyone sigh at the broken glass and doors and holes in the walls that Tsunade created.

**So what do you guys think of my new story, I have been writing it for some time now the first chapter is done. also check out my profile for adult Naruto, adult Sasuke, Naruto's armour, Sasuke's armour and Naruto's staves, Naruharem and the women in the harem are including**

**Hanabi**

**Sakura**

**Hinata**

**Yugito**

**Shion**

**Mabui**

**Kurenai**

**I should also mention that a poll will be started soon over any other women who should be in the harem, feel free to put suggestions in reviews and they will be taken into account.**


	2. Trying Times

Reincarnations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Trying Times**

It had been a month since the news of Tsunade falling pregnant was revealed to the village because of Danzō's meddling in affairs that were not his own. Through his ROOT agents who had spread word through the village in the form of a rumour which the people spread the news to others and others until the entire village knew about Tsunade's pregnancy, what was even worse was the fact that they also knew that Minato was the father.

There was great celebration in the village, with people celebrating this joyous news and the soon to be born child of the Tsaunde Senju and Minato Namikaze, people were throwing parties and having drinking games, with even a festival celebrating the revival of the Senju clan, the founding clan of Konoha, Tsunade was even asked to speak at the festival which she was nervous about and a little embarrassed at how her child was conceived. Although she was still uncomfortable about the while thing.

While on the other hand, it was a huge scandal in the village, many people mainly were outraged at the irresponsibility of Tsunade and Minato who were healthy role models to the village's children. Some parents were afraid that their own children might pick up the Senju parents habits, (Tsunade's drinking and gambling habits and Minato's jutsu's silly names). Although they could do little to sway people's minds as most people thought that they were raging and bitching about something that didn't really matter.

However, the overall response to the news was generally positive with many civilians, shinobi and kunoichi saying congratulations to the parents for bringing such an important life to the village.

During that month Tsunade was still working at the hospital tending to the wounded ninja tat would return from both successful and failed missions, either with relatively minor wounds or life threatening ones that would take hours to save them. Tsunade was still quiet stubborn about working at the hospital seemingly gaining an overall moral duty to help those that needed help and bring happiness to those that wanted it. Even now Tsunade would still smile herself at the happy faces that would walk away from the hospital with their loved one in tow.

If she was honest, very honest, she was excited by the prospect of walking out of the hospital with her baby in her arms, she wondered briefly what her child would be like, both in appearance and personality. Sometimes she would day dream about walking with her baby through a field of flowers while they laughed and she laughed with the. She wondered if what it would be like if it was a girl, would they have her creamy blonde hair with Minato's sapphire eyes, while the child would be more like Minato, with his calmness and collected demeanour, with some of his playfulness and maturity while also remaining humble throughout their life. Or a boy with Minato's hair and Tsunade's amber eyes, while the boy would take after her personality, cheerful and exuberant but always displaying a tough attitude to those around them with a little hyper-activity in there too who would take risks from time to time.

She wanted that so badly, but she wouldn't know what the baby would be like until it was born.

Her relationship with Minato which was only just friends was still stable. She didn't want to tear his face off each moment he walked into her presence, but so long as they could stand each other's presence's everything would be fine. In fact Minato was happy when he would visit her once a week to check up on her and the baby, of course since he was Hokage he was busy doing, well Hokage-stuff really, but he still wanted to be a part of their child's life, although there was some uproar regarding who would have parental custody of the baby. It was settled that Tsunade would have custody and the baby would take her clan name of Senju, which Minato agreed to, well the clan name of course, but he still had to butt horns with her regarding the custody. She had made it quiet clear that she was the one carrying the baby, she was the one that would go through all the pain to bring it into the world, so therefore she won the argument.

Minato had even gone as far to write a will should he ever die. Because even today there were still people who wanted Minato's head at their feet for what he did to them and their families during the war. In the will it stated that Naruto would inherit everything that belonged to Minato, including jutsu, money, and property, and the baby would inherit all of it when they turned sixteen.

Minato had also set up a trust fund for Tsunade and their baby so they would be able to look after themselves before, during and after the birth, to which Tsunade was thankful for.

Shizune had also been helping around, she was quiet happy lending a hand and making the busty blonde haired woman's life easier and more comfortable and less stress free, since that was the last thing she needed. Even Minato had stressed the fact that Tsunade should stress-less and be happy which would cause Tsunade to become stressed and yelling would ensure.

Her former teacher, the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi would visit her and make sure she was well, Hiruzen was the closest thing to a father Tsunade had since her own father died during the First Shinobi world war leaving her mother a widow and pregnant with her younger brother Nawaki who would die at the beginning of the Second Shinobi World War and her mother died a few years after Nawaki's birth also during the First Shinobi World War.

Much of her clan, the Senju clan, died during that war, their numbers and power were greatly reduced and many were eager to pounce on the void left by the Senju deaths, mainly the Hyūga clan who were very eager to claim power within the village.

Tsunade wondered what would become of the other clans such as the Uchiha and Hagoromo clans who were old enemies of the Senju clan. She wondered briefly if they would be a threat to her baby and herself, but she doubted that as many of the clans were at least friendly with one another.

But there was one thing she knew that was concrete evidence, was the fact that Danzō would never allow her to leave the village with the new Senju heir, she knew that old badger was planning something, but she didn't know, as trying to understand Danzō's mind was like trying to find your way out of a twisting and tricky maze, it was near impossible.

But she was still expecting Danzo's to do something shady for which he was known for.

* * *

In a dark underground headquarters, where all manner of shady things would occur, was a bandaged man sitting within his office, thinking about the new developments to the village.

This man was an incredibly dangerous and an amazingly deceptive individual by the name of Danzō Shimura the Shinobi no Yami (Darkness of the Shinobi), a man who had ideals that were archaic and draconian in nature and age, he merely believed that shinobi were tools and weapons to be use and tossed aside when they lost their use. He forced those under his command to kill those who were important to them and loved above all, to which he called 'training', where the shinobi's would suppress their emotion ensuring not to feel the slightest hesitation in ending one's life.

They didn't feel any remorse, sorrow or sympathy, to them all that mattered was the mission, either complete it or die, that was the code that the organisation ROOT would use. They copied the old graduation program of Kiri, by killing others so to become strong and survive, Danzō's training and methods were unknown to many, even the Hokage to which he followed under. However Danzō's own ROOT soldiers were loyal to him and him alone, they were puppets and he was the puppet master pulling the strings.

He remembered a time when he thought he was going to be Hokage, the leader of the village, in Danzō's mind, only he was fit to be Hokage and that was it. He believed that only he had the strength and the will to lead the village and abandon the ideals of the Senju clan who installed the Will of Fire into the village, Danzō believed that only through dominating strength and the use of fear through power would ensure the village's safety and future while those under the thumb of the Will of Fire would eventually lead the village into ruin.

However, Danzō knew that he himself was old, and he would not live forever, only he could change the world for the better, only he was capable and uniting the shinobi world. Well at least in his mind.

However, Danzō may have found the perfect candidate to shape the world and be a 'true' Hokage once he passed. The unborn child of the Yondaime and Tsunade, Danzō was cunning, oh so very cunning. He took advantage of the news of Tsunade being pregnant by spreading the information through the village so to limit Tsunade's movements within the village and to ensure that she would never leave the village with the child in tow.

He also wanted his ROOT agents to guard Tsunade while the child grew inside of her. Although that attempt was foiled when Minato stepped in and appointed his student, Kakashi Hatake to care for the well being of the Senju leader. However that was a minor bump in the road, when the due date for the baby was coming Danzō will arrange for midwives of his choosing to oversee the birth of the baby.

And when it was born he would rip it away from it's mother's arms and raise it to be a 'true' shinobi. He knew of the power and influence in the village the child would have when it was older, thats why he wanted the baby under his thumb and to accept his ideals were the 'right' ideals he only wants what is best for Konoha and the best way to protect Konoha was to ensure that the child was a replica of himself, where they would be cold, calculating and to never compromise for the good of Konoha.

Although Hiruzen may also be a problem. The Sandaime was above all smart and he was already suspecting Danzō to be planning something that would only benefit the ROOT leader. Hiruzen above all was not afraid of putting Danzō in his place but was too soft hearted to do anything in the long term.

Minato also suspected Danzō, he would be the hardest to fool since the man was shrewd and could see through many lies and deceit, he suspected that Minato already knew of what Danzō was planning and how it involved his child, Danzō would admit that he was little match for the Yondaime. The bandaged man would have to play his cards carefully if he was going to rip away the Senju heir.

But Danzō had time on his side, in six months the baby would be born and the elder had enough time to make his plans come to fruition.

But the power the child may have is what interested Danzō the most, a powerful lineage of talented Shinobi were coursing through the blood of the unborn child, Danzō was both excited and threatened by it's mere presence, since the baby could be a harbinger of the village's end or the 'saviour' the Village Hidden in the Leaves required. The blood of the most powerful and feared clan in the world and the some of the most powerful shinobi in the world ensured the talent and potential the child would have, the mere thought made Danzō shiver in delight which was a scary thing in itself.

With the bandaged mans 'help' the Senju clan would return to it's former glory and power with Danzō spearheading the clan from the shadows, the legacy of the Shodaime and the Yondaime would be in the safe hands of Danzō and any other child born to that clan. to be truthful DAnzo was hoping for a boy, so the boy could impregnate multiple women at once so to produce more clan members faster, and the mothers would come from his own ROOT organisation, as strong mothers would ensure strong children also. everything would go according to plan, so long as there was little meddling.

* * *

Minato was sitting in his office writing out and confirming reports and sending out missions. Today however, was a little special.

He received a petition from the head of the Kurama clan, Murakumo Kurama, enlisting aid for his daughter, Yakumo to be healed, because of her weak and frail body that would limit her potential as a ninja, Minato already had someone in mind who could help. They were about to walk though the door any minute, and he could already sense the chakra signature outside his door with what felt like another chakra signature within that signature.

When the door opened it revealed Tsunade wearing her normal attire of a green haori over a sleeveless blouse and dark pants and high heals and if one was to look closely you could see the small baby bump she had, revealing the life she was carrying inside of her.

"Tsunade good of you to come." said Minato professionally to which his blonde significant other nodded to. Minato also noticed that Shizune had joined her, probably to help with the medical examination which would be performed on Yakumo, Minato could also sense Kakashi's presence trailing Tsunade's also.

He had assigned the young ANBU member to safeguard Tsunade when he could not, since as the days passed by Tsunade would become less and less formidable because of growing child within her which would limit her mobility.

"Please, tell me what we're doing again." said Tsunade as when Minato told her of the Kurama medical examination it sort of went through one ear and out the other. At the time she was currently gorging herself on the some food she had a craving for, it was a common symptom of pregnancy to have a certain fetish for a food you may or may never have liked. That time it was sushi, lots of sushi.

"The head of the clan Murakumo Kurama has requested that we perform a medical examination on their sick daughter, Yakumo Kurama, apparently she was born with a weak and frail body that limits her potential." spoke Minato informing Tsunade of their medical subject.

"Why? With such a body, she may never have the chance to be a shinobi, even Might Dai, father of Might Guy, who could never perform ninjutsu or genjutsu, so he trained his body to perfect physical condition and trained in mostly taijutsu, he later dyed when he faced the Seven Shinobi swordsman of the Mist trying to protect his son. But with Yakumo's body she may never have the ability to be a kunoichi as genjutsu master's could easily break free from genjutsu or someone who was adept at it would easily kill Yakumo if she was ever faced in that situation." questioned Tsuande as she recounted the death of Might DAi, who was excellent at taijutsu because there was no limit to taijutsu but with genjutsu it was different.

"From what Murakumo told me is that his daughter, Yakumo has been born with their powerful kekki genkai allowing her to kill people with genjutsu by causing the brain to believe that what is happening to them is real and not an illusion as it usually is which results in brain death. Yakumo was born with the full extent of this kekki genkai and that has given Murakumo hope that she can become a powerful shinobi with genjutsu alone." informed Minato which still made Tsunade doubt Yakumo's future skill. "Furthermore, the Kurama clan were once a powerful clan that held great influence in the village, however their numbers and power have been greatly reduced over the years and not one of their shinobi is a Jōnin. Their hopes and dreams lie with Yakumo who can probably bring the clans power and influence back because of her kekki genkai."

Tsunade sighed heavily, although she still believed that it was pointless to do this as she believed that the still month old, Yakumo Kurama could become a formidable shinobi in her own right was preposterous because of her weak body, but she would do it because she would go to the edge of the earth to help her own child.

"Fine, lets go and get this over with." said Tsunade crossing her arms underneath her sizable bust. Minato smiled and nodded to her where both he, Tsunade, Shizune and the hidden Kakashi travelled to the Kurama clan compound.

* * *

The walk there was relatively quiet. Nothing was really talked about during the walk and no one seemed to want to start a conversation.

Shizune was a little nervous, since it felt like Tsunade and Minato would turn around and would start yelling at each other for no reason at all.

But everything changed When Tsunade diverted from the group and made a bee-line toward a ramen bar that was a little to their right, Shizuen and Minato were too focused on the walking to notice the fact that Tsunade was actually missing. When Minato finally noticed that the mother of his child was missing he became a depraved mess and started sweating profusely while his eyes were wide and white.

Shizune was in a similar situation but was much more composed about it.

The two spent a good five minutes looking for their travelling companion when they heard a familiar voice that sounded stuffed, ordering another bowl.

They both looked to their right to see Tsuande sitting on a stool at a bar, with flaps. They also noticed that it was a ramen bar which seemed to sell all types of ramen.

And there she was the blonde busty (pregnant) woman gulping down noodles with three empty bowls already beside her.

"Another!" shouted Tsunade with noodles stuffed in her mouth and chopsticks in her hands. Minato seemed to face fault at the woman and he wondered how long this would take, but knowing it was better to wait for Tsunade to finish or suffer her wrathful mood swings. So he sat down next to her and watched her while she gulped down the noodles with Shizune sitting next to him.

Hours later Tsunade had yet to finish eating her ramen with now four stacks of empty bowls lying around her, she had seemingly demolished all the ramen that was given to her and more and she still looked like she was ready for more.

She had just finished another ramen bowl (Which was her fortieth one) and ordered another. But the ramen cook who was a middle-aged man wearing a white robe and a chefs hat was staring at her with his arms crossed and a bewildered look on his face.

"I'm sorry miss but you just ate all our ingredients and we'll have to go and buy some more which will take a couple of hours." said the man with a large grin. Tsunade slurped up the last of the noodles and quickly nudged Minato to wake him up as he had fallen asleep while she was eating the ramen.

"Minato, you will pay the nice man, won't you." said Tsunade all too sweetly which made Minato sweat a little as he rarely saw that face and he knew that it was even dangerous to look at.

"You will pay the nice man, right... right?" said Tsunade with her eyes turning red and her voice becoming demonic sounding which made Minato eyes go narrow and his lips to purse in fear.

* * *

"Please come back later! Ichiraku ramen is always open." Yelled the ramen owner by the name of Teuchi who was currently pleased with the amount of profits he made, while Minato was silently crying over the fact that his wallet was now empty.

Soon they arrived at the Kurama clan compound where they were escorted to the head of the clan Murakumo. Who was waiting in a small room for the shinobi legend to arrive.

When the three finally made it to the main house they found, they found Murakaumo waiting, kneeling on a mat.

"Yondaime, you honour me and my family for coming." greeted Murakumo who bowed in respect, and then his eyes landed on Tsunade and he was able to see her small baby bump from carrying the life inside of her. "And to you, Tsunade-sama, congratulations." to which Tsunade smiled and also bowed a little. "Please have a seat."

"So tell me Murakumo-sama, first, tell me what ails your daughter? Second, was she born with the illness or caught it from another?" questioned Tsunade trying to understand what was afflicting Yakumo.

"It's a disease she was born with and it leaves her body frail and weak, my clan has stressed to me the fact that we have lost much of our power and they believe that Yakumo is the key to that success." spoke Murakumo informing Tsunade of what ailed Yakumo. Tsunade bit her nail in thought.

"Tsunade-sama?" questioned Shizune as whenever Tsunade bit her nail it meant she was in deep thought and was trying discern how to treat Yakumo.

"If she simply caught the disease, then I would be able to treat it easily. But since she was born with it, things have become much more difficult, I may not be able to treat it... Yes that could work." said Tsunade talking to herself which helped her think on certain subjects.

"Have you discovered a way to treat her?" questioned Murakumo while also Minato was waiting on the answer.

"Can you take me to her? I would like to give her a physical examination." asked Tsunade to which Murakumo agreed as it was quite reasonable and if it helped his daughter than it wouldn't hurt giving it a try.

The Kurama clan head, led his three guests through his humble house, towards his daughter's nursery where they found Murakumo's wife, Uroko Kurama, sitting beside the young babe's crib.

"Welcome." said Uroko bowing with respect to Tsunade and Minato, to which the two bowed back. Tsunade made her way over to the crib of the Kurama clan heiress and she found the baby sleeping peacefully, her little chest rising and falling ever so softly. It almost seemed like nothing could ruin this moment. For Tsunade, it reminded her of what she was expecting in the near future.

To begin the examination, Tsunade softly hefted Yakumo from the crib, although the baby did show some annoyance it wasn't enough to wake her up to which Tsunade sighed thankfully.

Tsunde then gestured for Uroko to come over and hold her daughter while Tsunade went through handseals for the **Shōsen no jutsu (Mystcial Palm technique)** so she could attain a full analysis of the baby's health.

A few minutes have passed and Tsunade had learned all that she needed.

Uroko then handed over Yakumo to Tsunade who placed gently back in the crib, and the two women were happy that the baby hadn't woken and caused a fuss. For Tsunade, she wouldn't say it out loud but she would have liked to hold Yakumo some more, whether it was curiosity, maternal instincts, or just because she liked it didn't really matter, since for Tsunade, she would have plenty of time to be doing that with her own baby once it's born.

"Well from what I learned from that, you don't have to worry, she won't be in any danger in the future unless she over exerts herself, and when she starts training to be a shinobi, I would have developed a special food pill that will boost her vitality and stamina allowing her to perform the bodily requirements of a shinobi, although her taijutsu will probably be her worst field when it comes to her training." said Tsunade smiling a little even though she was right, even with the pill Yakumo's body would still not be fit enough for taijutsu but just some training in that field and she would be alright.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama." said Uroko bowing to the Senju leader along with her husband. And at that moment, Yakumo started to cry, loudly as babes usually did, causing her mother to fret and her father to sigh, as being parents was not an easy thing. Tsunade wondered whether her own child wouldn't be a hand-full while also being behaved and mature so they would be easier to handle. But she knew thinking like that would only make that scenario happen.

Minato who had been watching Tsunade examining and holding Yakumo was truly a heart warmer for him, he could see the smile the blonde woman had, not the smile of happiness but the smile only a mother could have, he could see that Tsunade was truly excited for the prospect of parenthood, and he was too, despite not having custody over his soon to be born baby.

With the Kurama clan's needs and wants achieved Minato, Tsunade and Shizune left the compound and the party went their separate ways, Shizune headed for the hospital so she could heal the wounded and assist with their duties, Minato went back to the Hokage tower as he was still on duty and he wouldn't want to have Sarutobi kill himself so he could escape that vile paperwork. While Tsunade headed for her home as she was feeling tired and under Minato's suggestion should get some rest as it would be good for her.

* * *

In Kumogakure among the mountains and clouds the village was famous for, the people and it's shinobi were milling about their days in relative peace which the other nations were also enjoying.

Kumogakure was one of the more militaristic villages of the five nations, as you saw more shinobi than civilians and with two Bijū under their belt, one being among the strongest of the tailed beasts they were easily considered the second strongest village among the elemental nations, with Konoha being stronger than they were, much to the chagrin of the Raikage's who govern the village.

Right now the village's current Raikage, the Sandaime Raikage by the name of 'Z', was currently lifting two Five hundred kilogram barbells (roughly 1102 pounds) with ease as he was staring out at his village, The Third was one of the most powerful shinobi in the world, even Bijū were afraid of facing him in battle and was on 'of' the few to face on in battle single handedly. The others being the Shinobi legends, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, whose might were so vast the two were recognised as the most powerful shinobi's in the world that even the Third if given the chance must just hesitate in facing them.

Z was a tall, dark skinned man with a large, muscular and well-defined build, he had a full head of white hair which flowed into his back along with a long beard. He had unusual eyes, which had green irides and dark sclerae and no pupils. His face had pronounced cheekbones and tear troughs beneath his eyes, and a prominent crease across his forehead with a mole just above his right eyebrow. His to lip also has a darker pigmentation than the bottom one.

Upon his right shoulder he had a tattoo for the kanji of 'lightning' and following on of his battles with the Hachibi (eight tails), the Third had a scar on his right torso of a lightning bolt.

His typical attire was a Kumogakure flak jacket with no other clothing underneath, a thick rope tied around his waist; with dark blue sweat pants.

"Raikage-sama, we have received fascinating and shocking news." Spoke the Raikage's assistant, who was a light dkinned girl with brown hair.

"Whats news?" question Z, the Raikage, who was currently on his five hundredth rep.

"News has come from Konohagakure, that Tsunade Senju, one of the Densetsu no Sannin, is currently with child." said the Raiakge's assistant calmly, but her words made Z stop in his workout and pause in his mind.

'A Senju heir?!' thought Z, utterly shocked at the news, the most powerful clan in the world, one feared and respected throughout the world as the Sen no te o motsu ichizoku (the clan with a thousand skills). He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't.

"And more news has come from the village, that the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze is the father." continued the assistant as Z, who's brain was starting to shut down from the news, tried to just stay standing.

And that Moment, Z's son, A burst through his door with an equally shocked look on his face, obviously he too had just heard the news of the Senju heir.

"DAD! HAVE YOU HEARD!" shouted A at his father who seemed to be gaping like a fish out of water.

"Raikage-sama, what should we do?" questioned the girl as she looked at leader.

'it seems almost too fictional to believe.' thought Z as he kept staring out over his village.

"Ashisuto, is what we have heard from the village true?" queried the burly man.

"It is, our most trusted contacts have confirmed it, Tsunade is currently three months pregnant wit her child." said Ashisuto.

"Dad, what should we do, this child just might be the greatest threat to our village, since the rampages of the Hachibi." spoke A with utter seriousness while also overestimating a being who had yet to be born nor will have the power to be a threat to the village for many years.

"There's nothing we can do, if we attack or kidnap Tsunade, Konoha will respond with violent action and we will be pulled into a war we cannot win, and I doubt Namikaze will be too forgiving regarding the fact that we would threaten his unborn child." said Z acting as a rational leader and a wise one, he knew it would be years until the child could be any real threat, what kind of person would be a afraid of a baby, a baby who had yet to be born yet, it was ludicrous.

"For now we wait." said Z.

"But dad-." responded A trying to change his father's mind regarding the whole thing.

"Enough, A, if you want to be Raikage one day then you must have the wisdom to make the right decisions and predict the consequences of their actions. And unlike Iwa or Kiri we don't seek war, but we do prepare for it." spoke Z berating his son while also giving him a lesson in leadership.

* * *

In Sunagakure where the sun always blazed with intense heat and the winds carried the specs of dust and sand that would lash at you as if it was a whip.

The Yondaime Kazekage was currently sitting in his office, attending to the duties of the Kazekage, he had taken up office when his predecessor and teacher the Sandaime Kazekage, disappeared without leaving even a hint of himself behind.

The Kazekage had auburn hair, dark eyes which always depicted wit ha stern look or a scowl, he wore a simple black jacket and pants nothing really that would make him stand out.

The Kazekage was a stern man who was always placed the well-being of his village above his own needs and wants, even his own family, he had just been coping with the death of his wife who had only died just barely over a week ago, of course he mourned for her death for he loved her deeply even if he didn't show it. But still the village demanded that he be as stalwart and stoic as can be.

He currently had a squad of his ANBU black ops, watching over his newborn son's crib, the Ichibi Jinchūriki. With the help of Chiyo, one of his villagers elders, they were able to seal the beast inside his unborn son, a decision that would lead to the his son's premature birth and his wife's death.

He had yet to console his own two children, his oldest child Temari nor his oldest son Kankurō.

He heard a knock at the door and ushered the person in without looking up from his paper work. It was one of his ANBU and they were currently holding a folder which was addressed to the Kazekage.

"Kachi-sama, we received this letter addressed to you from Konoha, we have already decrypted it's contents and it matches Konoha algorithms and codes." said the ANBU member placing the folder upon the Kachi, the Kazekage's desk.

Kachi without saying anything opened the folder and inspected it's contents, he found his eyes widening a little at the news, but still keeping up his stern facade he just placed the folder upon his desk to the side and kept on working.

"What did it say Kazekage-sama?" questioned the ANBU member.

"Tsunade of the sannin is pregnant with the Yondaime Hokage's child." grunted Kachi as he filed away at his papers. He wasn't at all afraid of he child, especially one that hasn't even been born yet. He and Konoha were allies now, if anything the birth of a new Senju heir may just be beneficial to Suna. Although he did have to wonder what kind of talent and potential the son of the Yondaime and the legacy of the Shodaime will bear, shall he be a almighty destroyer or a useful ally.

It didn't really matter at the time.

* * *

In Iwa, Ōnoki the Sandaime Tsuchikage, reputed as the Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki (Ōnoki of both scales or the fence-sitter, a man who was one of the few to live through all the three Great Shinobi world wars. A man both feared and respected Ōnoki ruled his village with utter surety and no other carried no love greater than any Tsuchikage for his village.

Ōnoki is a very short man with a triangular beard and a moustache that has angular corners, a bid red nose and thick eyebrows. The top of his head is completely bald a clear sign of old age, although he did have long white hair on the lower-half of his head which is styled in a traditional chonmage hair cut, the back of which is tied with a yellow ribbon into a topknot.

He also wore a green and yellow coat with a red collar . Underneath he wears the flak jacket of his village but a light green colour with mesh armour and a lapel of the side of his right leg.

However Ōnoki was a man known for his under-handed tactics to ensure the prosperity of his village, this caused many in the shinobi in the world both ordinary ninja and kage alike to frown upon him, his village and his shinobi, who followed their leaders orders without hesitation or question, and if it meant abandoning their comrades for the success of the mission than that was divine will to them.

However, Ōnoki was gritting his teeth and his eyes looked ready to pop out of his skull, what he had just read and heard caused rage to flow through him like a dam bursting forth from the pressure of water, his most hated enemy, the one that cost him so many of his ninja's lives and the happiness of their families, was spawning his own right now.

He had just discovered that 'the' Tsunade Senju, granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage, the only Hokage Ōnoki openly respected. Tsunade was pregnant with the Yondaime's spawn, the first thought that came to Ōnoki's mind upon hearing the news was to kill the child and make Namikaze suffer as everyone in Iwa had suffered from the man's crimes against his village and the war.

However, Ōnoki didn't live this long if he was stupid, he knew that by attacking Tsunade, a clan leader of Konoha, then it would mean war between Iwa and Konoha, a war that was not needed and one they couldn't fight. Three powerful shinobi clans had joined Konoha and they also had Suna on their side and the Uchiha clan were especially feared, ever since Ōnoki's own encounter with their ancient leader, Madara Uchiha.

Many people in his village had already heard the news and were just now, shouting for the unborn child's death along wit hthe Yondaime, but of course knowing the consequences forbade any in his village who were having ideas of heading to Konoha and killing Tsunade, as he knew, none of theme would survive.

But still, he knew that the Senju heir, would be a danger in the future.

* * *

In Kirigakure, secrets and whispers were hidden in the mist. A village governed under the iron rule of it's Mizukage. The Yondaime Mizukage Yagura, the village was known for it's bloody graduations and civil wars that plagued their land and the harsh treatment of those with kekki genkai.

The village had changed little during that time and now, those with kekki genkai were still hunted down like butchered animals some even paraded around with their bodies and limbs used as warnings to other kekki genkai wielders.

Many viewed kirigakure and the land of Water as a country full of savages and brutes, they never have compromises when it comes to government and they never engage in diplomacy, many children where butchered form their graduation tests evena class a few years ago was slaughtered by a single boy who wasn't even an academy student.

Yagura, The Yondaime Mizukage, was currently reading a report detailing information both important and scandalous to those who read it.

Yagura was a small man with a youthful appearance with people commonly mistaking him as a child rather than a fully grown adult. He has a head of messy, light-grey hair and pink, pupil-less eyes and a stitch like scar running from under his left eye, all the way down to his cheek.

He wore a sleeve-less, grey shirt with the Kirigakure hitai-ate attached to the front and short sleeved mesh armour underneath with a green poncho with a turquoise sash around his waist, paired with a green apron over his pants.

He never would have guessed that someone like Tsunade Senju would fall pregnant with the child of the Yondaime Hokage, even the thought of Minato and Tsunade together having and raising a child was laughable and unrealistic while also unlikely, but since Tsunade was confirmed to be three months pregnant with the child and claiming Minato was the father was just proof that what happened, happened.

However Yagura, was unaware of the shadow lurking behind him, also reading the report, this person was wearing a black kimono and black gloves with bandages underneath his body with a head of messy black hair, the shade of night and wore an orange mask with a flame-like pattern with a single eye hole where a red eye was visible and within the eye was three tomoe circling it.

"Now this is an interesting development, a new Senju." spoke the voice with nothing but malice and dark desires within it.

* * *

In Konoha, a clan was having a meeting, one of the oldest clans in Konoha, if not one of the oldest in the world, an immensely powerful clan that many feared facing in battle. A clan known for their talents in war and the prowess of their chakra which was extremely strong compared to other clans.

This clan was gathering under one of their sacred shrines, a shrine that many in the Hidden Leaf village were not aware of. Only during times of importance of war and other matters was the entire clan gathered together such as they are now. And very few knew of what secrets it truly hid.

"What must we do about this news."

"We will lose all the power in the village we have accumulated."

"What little we have left."

"The child is borne from our old enemies, it may turn against us someday."

"But it is the child of the Hokage, it will mot likely be groomed to become Hokage in the near future."

"The people will rally behind it, just as they have done for that clan before."

"Silence!" Yelled a voice that reverberated through the hall silencing the voices and dissent among them.

"Look at you, you the UCHIHA! Scared and cowering under the threat of a child, an unborn one even more, have we ever feared a child? I ask you?" spoke the voice which belonged to a man who was standing before a stone tablet with writing on it that was indecipherable to the naked eye. Only people with rather specific eyes could read what was on the tablet.

The voice belonged to a man. This man had short black hair that reached his shoulders and onyx-coloured eyes, with visible creases below them which became more pronounced when he adopted a stern look.

He wore a wore a standard Konoha flak jacket along with a black shirt with the Konoha military police force symbol on the shoulders, shin-guards and a black, open-front apron with white diamonds on the bottom.

This man was Fugaku Uchiha, the current head of the Uchiha clan. Fugaku was a man who placed the needs of his clan above the needs of the village. Outwardly he looked like a strict fellow, however although he was strict, when not seen by others he was a loving man who had great love for his wife, eldest son and his own soon to be born child.

His love for his clan was so great that he would do just about anything to ensure it's well-being. However he was troubled by the news of a Senju heir, one whose father was the Yondaime Hokage. He suspected that the child would wield great influence within the village, probably more so than the Uchiha clan. Because the child's father was the Yondaime a veteran of the third Shinobi world war, his mother was the head of the Senju clan while also being descended of both the Shodaime and the Nidaime Hokage.

And the child's potential was incredibly enormous given it's lineage.

"As much as we love talking about the danger this child can warrant, our ancestor's made peace with the Senju long ago and we founded this village with them. And among other things this child will of course be closely monitored by a unit of ANBU soldiers. There is nothing we can do except sit by and watch." spoke Fugaku while his pregnant wife who was sitting within the crowd breathed a silent sigh of relief as if they did attack Tsunade it would lead the Uchiha to become distrusted among the village.

"So we do nothing as always." spoke another rude Uchiha.

"No we won't simply do nothing, if the child is female, then we will arrange a marriage between it and one of our own clansmen, strengthening the Uchiha." said Fuagku to reassure his clan.

"And if the child just so happens, to be a boy, then that plan is fucked." said another Uchiha and the meeting was concluded shortly after that.

* * *

Time passed on, always moving forward and never backward, time almost seemed to suit Konoha, they were always moving forward, no matter what was thrown at them, they were always moving forward, maybe it was their indomitable will of Fire, or they were just too stubborn to back down from a fight, but one thing that was certain was the fire in their eyes when they were protecting what was precious to them. The village was their family, their loved ones and their friends, konoha shinobi were each other's brothers and sisters, the entire village was a large family and so the shinobi, even their Hokage would fight to their last breath to protect that family and everything their village stood for.

But there was one family that were enjoying themselves more than others.

It had been three months since Tsunade had performed a medical checkup on Murakumo's baby daughter, Yakumo Kurama and things had seemed to settled down in the village regarding her package. People were milling about their days unhindered and unperturbed. Especially Tsunade, since worrying and stressing were the least amount of things she needed at the moment.

The blonde woman had finally grown accustomed to the fact that a living being was growing inside of her and was nearly ready to join her when that time came. Her once small baby bump was now a large belly carrying the bundle of joy within her.

She had been receiving frequent visits form her former-teacher and mentor Hiruzen Sarutobi and his wife Biwako Sarutobi. It most likely came from the fact that Hiruzen became a father figure to her once her own father died during the First Shinobi world war, and as she remembered Sarutobi and her father were rather close friends.

And Biwako had been an extreme use of help and support, raising two boys herself, she knew exactly what being a mother was like, she helped her through the symptoms of the pregnancy such as the mood swings and the food cravings to which Tsunade had developed a rather unhealthy obsession for ramen as she couldn't get enough of the food now. And Biwako even told her of birth and what came after it, hoping to prepare the younger blonde haired woman for the trials of motherhood which were difficult and arduous, but the rewards were well worth it.

Even now Tsunade was already acting like an over-protective mother, caring as if her child was a fragile leaf that could break upon contact. Though one thing that Tsunade was not pleased about when it came to being a mother was her child's suitors, boyfriends and girlfriends alike. If she had a boy, she wanted the young man to find someone like her, someone who can put him in his place should he get out of hand or does something incredibly stupid, but at the same time, someone they can truly be themselves around. And if she was having a girl, she wanted a man who would look after her, as a person, her daughter could stand on her own two feet, but she there would come a time that she would need comfort from another.

But if there was one thing she was dreading were her children having to be chased around by the bane of all kunoichi's. Fangirls (sometimes boys). She would hate the day when her child would grow up to be quite a beautiful human being with her chasing off all the fangirls that would fawn over them.

Her thoughts were broken when she heard the flapping of wings which originated from the sky and came swooping down, it was a flock of ducks which came flying at a location towards her. She was currently sitting near the edge of a small pond located in her clan's now empty compound, within her own mansion, the pond wasn't too big and it wasn't too small, it was just right and there was a small sakura tree to which she was sitting under and a small gazebo not to far to her left.

Tsunade could remember the days she spent with her mother by the pond as her mother sang her lullabies and told her stories of the ventures of her father and grandfather, the pond was also a place where she could have fun with her grandfather, who spoiled her greatly as a child, something which she wouldn't do with her own child.

The pond was home to many types of small life, to koi fish and small harmless crabs and nearly every week a flock of ducks would fly down and swim in the water of the pond. She was currently watching the birds play in the water and most of the ducks were only babies who were accompanied by their mother.

Tsunade smiled at the sight, and she lovingly stroked her belly in delight, if only she had some bread with her so to feed the ducks and make this already beautiful even more perfect, for today was a special day for her. It was a day, special for her and only her.

It was her birthday. August 2nd. Today she was thirty nine years of age, and she was surprised with herself, after what happened in her life she was slightly shocked that she had lived as long as she had.

She wondered if anyone important seemed to have remembered her birthday, other than Shizune who gave her a nice book to read. But still, there must be someone

* * *

Minato was walking to the Senju clan compound for Tsunade's birthday, he had already chosen a gift for her, and he thought it was something that she would enjoy, he had spent a great amount of time and effort trying to decide on a present for the mother of his soon-to-be born child. But now he had finally decided on one.

The blonde Hokage while walking to the compound saw Hiruzen just in the corner of his vision, walking with his wife and they too were holding presents. He smiled, knowing that it would bring Tsunade great comfort.

But there was one thing that made his mind pause, someone who might or might not show up for Tsunade's birthday, someone who loved her unconditionally. A man who was also like a father to him.

Jiraiya.

He had sent a letter to his spymaster telling him of Tsunade's birthday, although he left out the information of Tsunade being pregnant. All the great nations were now aware of Minato's growing family and Jiraiya being as knowledgable as he was, must know by now.

Minato wondered what Jiraiya was feeling right now, was he furious that Minato slept with the woman he loved most, was he happy that his student who was like a son to him was going to be a father or was it a bit of both.

There was also another person who he was concerned about, Kushina, his ex. Knowing her she would mostly be angry and when she was angry, she tended to get, violent. Minato could only wish that Kushina would not cause trouble in the near future, hopefully.

* * *

The Yondaime had the Senju compound within his sights where Tsunade and the others were waiting for him. But there was one person who he was hoping to talk to and yet did not expect to see. Jiraiya was currently standing before the mansion holding a wrapped up, brown gift bound with twine.

Minato stopped in his stride, he was a little hesitant to talk to his old master, would he be disappointed in him or would it be another feeling.

"Sensei." said Minato catching Jiraiya's attention who turned his head to look at his old pupil.

"Minato, been a while." said Jiraiya with a smile. Although it was a warm greeting Minato hoped that things would go alright from then and onward.

"Sensei, I-." said Minato trying to start an awkward conversation with the toad sage.

"You don't have to say anything Minato, I know." said Jiraiya softly.

"Wait, aren't you angry at me, for I don't know, knocking up Tsunade." said Minato genuinely surprised at how mature his sensei was being, it was really out of character for the super-pervert.

"When I discovered Tsunade was pregnant with your child, I 'was' angry. I wanted to march over here and beat your face into the ground, but that would cause more problems than solve them... I've loved Tsunade ever since we were genin, and I loved you as if you were my own son, and what the two of you did together, it made my blood boil... I felt betrayed." confessed Jiraiya and every word that came out of his mouth was true, he was fuelled by rage and jealousy towards Minato at first. "But then I came to my senses, if I really loved Tsunade all I wanted was to make her happy, and if you gave her happiness, then I don't really have the right to whinge, don't I?" said Jiraiya grinning largely and happily.

"Thank you. Sensei. atleast we got that down and out of the way." said Minato sighing in relief that his sensei wasn't angry.

"Besides, maybe someday I can take the little guy on a 'research trip'." said Jiraiya giggling perversely and blushing a little.

"Don't let Tsunade catch you saying that, she might beat you into the ground for even thinking of 'corrupting' our baby, and what makes you think it's a boy?" questioned Minato, as he and Tsunade had decided not to discover the gender of the baby until it was born.

"Because she made a bet that the baby is going to be a girl." deadpanned Jiraiya.

"Great, I'm having a son." said Minato happily and walking into the mansion. Tsunade always lost her bets.

* * *

They soon found Biwako and Hiruzen waiting for them, they also invited Orochimaru but it was unlikely that he would appear. They walked around the house and found Shizune who led them to Tsunade who was still sitting by the pond rubbing her large belly.

However something was wrong. Minato could see tears trailing down Tsunade's cheeks and staining her kimono which she was wearing for the occasion. Minato took the initiative and approached Tsunade.

"Tsunade, is everything alright? Is the baby alright?" questioned Minato as he was now kneeling beside the blonde haired woman.

Said woman snapped her head to the left to see Minato with a worried look on his face, Tsunade regaining herself wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her kimono and adopted a smile.

"Everything's, fine... it's just, the baby is kicking." she said softly, feeling soft and tiny kicks of their baby. The little one had been kicking for a little while and through out it, Tsuande had cried out of sheer happiness, just even more proof that she was going to be a mother and everyday that passed she grew more excited at the prospect.

Minato finding Tsunade's smile infectious, smiled with her and he placed his hands upon her tummy trying to feel the baby's kicks. And he could feel the soft kicks and he knew, that being a father, was one of the most rewarding things in the world.

"What's that you have there?" queried Tsunade as she laid her eyes on the package Minato was holding. The blonde haired man handed the package over to Tsunade who opened it carefully. And what she saw made her gasp.

It was a photo book, and upon the front cover was the words. 'Family'. Tsunade opened the book only to see that every page was blank.

"It's empty." stated the blonde haired woman.

"Then we just have to fill it." said Minato sitting down next to her. Tsunade looked back down at the book and silently wept, she knew now that the book had a purpose of storing pictures of them and their child, so to remember the memories they would have. The Senju clan head, had never received such a gift before and this showed that Minato cared enough for her and their baby and that was what was making her cry.

"Don't forget forget us." said Hiruzen with Biwako and Jiraiya following after him. Hiruzen and Biwako gave Tsunade a small blanket with the Senju clan's symbol, Konoha's symbol and the kanji for 'fire' on it. And Tsunade loved it every detail of it, it was the purest expression that her baby was also a child of the village and would be loved by the villagers also.

Jiraiya gave Tsunade his bound gift, and when she opened them she was felt nothing but joy, it was two toys, one of them a fluffy bunny and the other a white, plush asian dragon, for the baby to play with. And without asking Jiraiya responded with 'every kid needs a good toy'.

And then came a surprise visit from Kakashi who was watching over all over them in the shadows, he was currently wearing his ANBU attire and his mask was still on his face.

The young silver-haired young man didn't say anything other than pull out a pair of wooly bunny pyjamas that were blue in colour. Tsunade took them out of his hand and just awed at them for a moment, the first picture she was going to take and but in the photo book was going to be her baby wearing these pyjamas so she could embarrass any girlfriends or boyfriends, even grandchildren in the near future.

"Thank you Kakashi." said Tsunade to which she got up and kissed the ANBU member on the cheek well the masks cheek but you get the idea. And thankfully for Kakashi he was wearing two masks so he could hide his blush, of course he was thirteen years old so it wasn't odd and he was kissed by a beautiful woman so it was normal.

Then Shizune came around the corner carrying a cake she had been baking the entire day.

"Time for the cake!" She said happily. And everyone seemed to notice that the cake had thirty nine candles upon it, obviously referencing Tsuande's age. The cake was white and tasted like vanilla with buttercream frosting, Tsunade's favourite.

* * *

A few hours of drinking later (although Tsunade wasn't aloud to have sake, much to her annoyance). The happy family went their separate ways although Jiraiya and Tsunade to have a conversation and she was a relieved that Jiraiya didn't harbour any negative feelings towards her, Minato or their baby.

However there was one person who came around to her mansion, someone she did not expect to see. Currently Tsuande was by her pond feeding the ducks that would take residence within the water and the koi fish that were swimming around joyously.

Tsunade could feel a shadow, approaching, and she could feel jealousy writhe from this person, there was only one who could be here walking into her home bringing such negative emotion with them. Tsunade turned her head to the right to see Kushina Uzumaki, standing there with a stoic face and in her casual attire.

Tsunade already had a good guess as to why she was here, and unlike Jiraiya who endured no matter what was thrown at him. Kushina was not so easily enduring.

"Kushina, how can I help you?" said Tsunade trying to maintain a facade of positivity and helpfulness.

"I came to talk." stated the woman bluntly, as she faced the older blonde. "And don't say 'talk about what?' as I think we both know what I'm talking about."

Tsunade sighed at the red head. She knew that the day would come when Kushina would confront her over the debacle between Tsunade and Minato.

"I want to know your feelings regarding Minato." asked Kushina with a steely gaze which made Tsunade raised her eyebrows at the woman, but then narrowed them at the sheer contempt she was showing within her eyes.

"I, love him... but only as the father of my child, nothing more." said Tsunade answering Kushina's question.

"Are you sure about that, since you allowed him to knock you up." deadpanned Kushina he kept glaring at Tsuande.

"That entire thing was an accident, it was an accident yes, but not one I regret." said Tsuande rubbing her tummy in admiration and protectiveness. "And I don't see why you care, you broke up with Minato before we even discovered I was pregnant. So why are you still harbouring feelings for him."

"Why should I tell you, it doesn't involve you." retorted Kushina, and it was strange seeing the naturally kind and cheerful woman, this bitter and jealous.

"And why should I tell you what happened between Minato and myself... it doesn't involve you." snarled Tsunade, using Kushina's own words against the red head. "We may not love each other nor are we married but it doesn't excuse the fact that he moved on."

"So as soon as Minato is done with me he moves onto you, the beautiful granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage. Of course he would go after you." said Kushina crossing her arms.

"You also forget that I'm just as much Uzumaki as are you. Mito was my grandmother, and you weren't the only one mourning after she died." said Tsunade, stating her clan origins with not just the Senju but Uzumaki also.

"Don't bring Mito-sama into this." warned Kushina as it was Mito who provided her with everything she needed in Konoha and more.

"I can because she's my grandmother, not yours." grunted Tsunade at the red head. Things were starting to heat up between the two kunoichi and Kushina was intentionally tapping into the Kyūbi causing Kushina's eyes to become blood red with slits for pupils, Tsunade seeing the eyes widened them in disbelief as she knew of things such as Jinchūriki and Bijū and now that she thought about it, Kushina was the perfect host for the Kyūbi.

"Why did you even keep it, I never would have expected you to actually want a child." said Kushina rudely, however this struck the wrong cord with Tsunade as the blonde woman's eyes became immediately enraged.

"You can insult me and Minato all you like, but if you insult my baby... I will put you down." warned Tsunade not afraid of facing Kushina.

"And you were the one who got Minato drunk in your own office, it almost sounded like you wanted him to fuck you." accused Kushina, however Tsunade was unaffected by the accusation even though it wasn't true it didn't bother her, but hearing that reaction, Tsunade knew there was a ulterior motive to what Kushina was saying.

"This isn't about the pregnancy or me having sex with Minato." said Tsunade understanding Kushina's motives and reasons and she knew she hit jackpot when Kushina's eyes returned to their original violet colour.

"But-I." stuttered Kushina trying to form tangible words.

"You're angry over the fact, that I've made him happier in the last six months than you at the time when he proposed to you." said Tsunade where Kushina widened her eyes in surprise.

"Don't think you know what makes him happy." growled Kushina, whose eyes returned to their slitted blood red. "You don't know anything about him." Tsunade feeling the air become denser and danger encroaching upon her, decided it was a good time to back down and try to calm Kushina before thing became out of hand.

"Kushina, I think you should calm down. Just take a deep breath and calm down." said Tsunade shielding her protruding belly and placing an arm in front of her reassuringly trying to calm Kushina.

"How can I keep calm, when you stole EVERYTHING FROM ME!" yelled Kushina as she unleashed a torrent of the Kyūbi's chakra which arced out around her like a shockwave. Tsunade didn't have enough time to run, dodge or even move, before she was struck in the stomach by the wave of foul chakra, and the hand that was shielding her belly was burned and scarred from the mighty power. As a result Tsunade felt to the ground on her side writhing in pain and fear from the corrosive nature of the chakra.

Shizune who had heard the shout ran around the corner to see her master on the ground clutching at her stomach with tears falling from her eyes.

"TSUNADE-SAMA!" shouted Shizune frightened for her master and her baby. Shizune reached into her robes and pulled out a three pronged kunai with a seal formula on it where she channelled chakra into it and barely half a second passed before Minato suddenly appeared before Shizune with a worried expression on his face.

And the first thing he was squirming on the ground in agony and horror and he saw Kushina with red slitted, red eyes and it didn't take him long to piece together what had transpired.

Rushing over to Tsunade at top speeds he hefted the wounded blonde woman carefully in a bridal position.

"T-he, t-the baby." whimpered Tsunade who was crying freely at the thought of losing her child.

Kushina seeing Tsunade's tears and worried expression knew what had happened, she had lost control for only a split second and it was enough to nearly kill Tsunade.

"I-it was an accident, I swear I-." she never got to finish her question as Minato didn't even look at her and instead teleported Shizune and Tsunade away from the Senju compound and to the hospital where they could treat her as soon as possible.

Kushina was left alone in the small park in the compound by the pond and even the ducks that had nestled by the water were flying away from her, even the birds were disappointed in her.

* * *

When Minato and Shizune with a wounded Tsunade in tow, teleported to the hospital they were immediately shouting for Biwako Sarutobi to assist them. When Biwako heard the shouting she rushed around the corners of the hospital to find Minato in a frenzied state and Tsunade crying and panting in pain and terror.

Without hesitation or stupid comments Biwako found a room where they could treat Tsunade and possibly save the baby, although Minato was forced to leave the room because he would be a distraction (something he agreed with).

So he waited for hours on end, outside the hospital room waiting for any news of Tsunade to come, but things were quiet, and the quiet put the Hoakge on edge, he didn't know if his chld was still alive at this point, he was so disgusted with how Kushina acted and how she put people in danger, the Kyūbi looks for any negative emotion to feed on so it could escape it's confines and destroy the village which had imprisoned it.

It would most likely kill Tsunade, Kushina and the Uchiha clan for their relations to the founders, Hashirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki and Madara Uchiha, the ones who specifically jailed and contained it. He knew those three people were among the many that the Kyūbi hated most.

But Kushina lost control, even for a second the demon fox could have taken out it's rage upon the village, the volatile power of the fox that even the Shodaime Hokage, who was unable to kill the fox as it's power was far too fearsome. However, the seal wasn't broken, only weakened, it may pose a problem in the future, but right now the situation could be handled.

Three hours had passed and Minato was still waiting outside the hospital room for any news. By his side was Hiruzen who had heard what happened and dashed his way to the hospital.

The Third was also worried about Tsunade and the baby, it was troubling news and apparently from what Minato told him, the Kyūbi's poisonous chakra had struck Tsunade's womb and may have killed the child inside of her.

And if that did happen, Hiruzen could foresee Tsunade falling into an even greater depression, worse than her sorrow for the losses of Dan and Nawaki. A depression she would never heal from and would inadvertently drink herself to death from the heartbreak, something which Sarutobi never wanted for Tsuande. He could only hope for the best now and trust in his wifeand Shizune's medical prowess.

And finally what seemed like forever the door to the room opened and out came Biwako who was currently rubbing the sweat off her forehead from the stress of the operation. Minato seeing Biwako leave the room jumped out of his seat followed by Hiruzen.

"Biwako, is everything alright? Is the baby alright?" asked Minato desperately. Hiruzen also wished to know as he had to force himself to not bite his nails.

"Everything is fine." she stated with a smile which also made Hiruzen and Minato smile in relief. "We were quite lucky, if she hadn't had arrived at the hospital any later the baby would have surely died." said Biwako which almost made Minato faint, but it seems his moniker of the Kiiroi Senkō (yellow flash) pulled through after all.

"So what exactly happened?" questioned Hiruzen.

"The backlash from the Kyūbi's chakra was poisonous, the worst amount of damage came in the form of Tsuande's hand where she was cradling her stomach. It suffered multiple burns which, with enough healing, will disappear in time, although a small amount hit her stomach where it infected the baby, because of it's weak body and undeveloped chakra the horrendous power of the Kyūbi nearly overwhelmed it and would have destroyed it's cells quickly had we not intervened. However we were able to heal the damage, the severity done to the cells and the constant creation of new cells have shortened it's natural lifespan." said Biwako sadly.

"How much has it been shortened?" questioned Minato.

"Unkown, but given the fact that the child is of Uzumaki and Senju descent means it would have a great life force and longevity." said Biwako trying to ease the Hokage's nerves.

"She is right, Mito Uzumaki, Tsunade's grandmother lived well before the founding of the Hidden Village's and lived through most of my reign as Sandaime Hokage and she still looked like she was sixty, she didn't have a single white hair on her head either." said Hiruzen. "If the child has inherited any of it's ancestor's famous longevity then a I doubt not much of it's life has been shortened."

"Like I said before, only a small amount of the Kyūbi's chakra harmed the child." retorted Biwako. Minato seemed to sigh in relief at the news, he didn't care if his child's life was shortened so long as it was still alive.

"And how is Tsunade?" queried Minato.

"She's currently resting, the stress of this whole ordeal has taken a great toll on her and her body needs rest and healing so to recover from the Kyūbi's chakra, but other than that, she will be fine. Women are stronger than men after all." said Biwako with a sly wink.

'and thats something I'd admit in a heartbeat and also not something I can contest to either.' thought Hiruzen with a small sweatdrop.

So with all that drama done and over with, everything settled down, although Minato would have a 'talk' with Kushina later on, regarding her actions and her jealousy.

Later Tsunade was released from the hospital after her recovery and was subjected to enormous doting from Minato who worried for her every action, much to her chagrin. And the events surrounding what happened were kept secret so to not allow the village to become head-over-heels in panic and turmoil at the knowledge of a Jinchūriki in their midst.

And the fake story as to why Tsunade was in at the hospital in critical condition was, she fell.

Although when Danzō and the other elders heard of the news they were less than pleased to hear of the near loss of the Senju heir and the escape of the Kyūbi. But still after the incident, Biwako classified the rest of Tsunade's pregnancy as a high risk pregnancy as there may be some adverse side affects to the baby being exposed to the Kyūbi's chakra and she was under constant guard and watch by a team of ANBU members and the reason Kakashi wasn't there to protect her because his childhood friend Guy who had somehow found him challenged him to one of his 'challenges' and was continuing to bother him while the silver-haired ANBU was officially on duty and had to protect Tsunade as per his mission.

Needless to say, Guy also received a tongue lashing from his self-appointed rival.

So for the next few months things were peaceful.

However, no one in the village could predict the dark motives of a dark individual hiding in the shadows. This figure was moving the pieces on the board and disaster was going to follow in his wake with great loss following after him like a loyal dog.

Would anyone be safe from the lingering cycle of hatred.


	3. The Unseen Enemy

Reincarnations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**The Unseen Enemy**

It had been been a month since Tsunade was hospitalised by Kushina's chakra outburst, Strong action was taken against Kushina, with her shinobi duties being suspended for a short amount of time, Tsunade begrudgingly forgave the Uzumaki but still had a bit of a grudge against her.

Kushina, was remorseful over what happened, she was ashamed of herself for acting up that way and disregarding Mito's teachings, that a a vessel must be fill with love to tame the hatred of the beast. She was even more ashamed of the fact that because of her she harmed Mito's only living family.

Minato had forgiven Kushina, although it took some time for him to actually accept Kushina's apology and let bygones be bygones. At least his child was still alive and Tsuande would recover from the experience.

Hiruzen was meanwhile was able to settle things between the two women and calm the people who were worrying over Tsunade's health and safety. But he also had much planning that needed to be done, Tsunade was inching closer to her due date, when the baby would be born, and Biwako, his wife, had classified the blonde haired woman's pregnancy as high risk pregnancy, so things must be handled carefully, and because the unborn child was exposed to the Kyūbi's chakra unseen circumstances may occur that could potentially spiral down to disaster, Hiruzen wanted the child to be born, so they could make their mother and father happy, even more so that the child very presence within their mother. He also made a silent promise to both parents that he would protect the child should anything happen, the baby may even have the power that Kinkaku and Ginkaku commanded, the two Kumo shinobi who killed the Nidaime Raikage and almost killed the child's ancestor, the Nidaime Hokage.

So right now he and Biwako were going to meet with Tsunade and Minato to discuss the birth and what precautions must be taken to ensure the baby's life and safety.

Hiruzen couldn't shake this feeling, it almost as if he was standing next to a black sun, burning hot and full of shadow. He could feel this malicious will in the air, it almost felt like it had a purpose, to take something away, and bring loss and grief to all, there were very few times Hiruzen had this feeling, the first time was when he and his team were surrounded by the Kinkuku unit during the First Shinobi world war, that time he and Danzō were going to volunteer themselves to be a sacrifice so their teammates could escape but the his mentor, Tobirama Senju, made the decision to be the sacrifice.

The second time was during the Third shinobi world war, Konoha was on it's hands and knees in defeat and Hiruzen was losing his loyal shinobi left and right because of the then surperior might of Iwa, and the black sun trailed the Hokage all that time, and it was only because of the efforts of Minato, winning the war and securing victory for Konoha, did the burning sensation of the black sun disappear, but now he was feeling it again, and when he felt the black sun, just like how Tsunade always won her bets, something unforeseen and destructive would follow, he just couldn't shake the feeling of the black sun.

Biwako knowing that her loving husband had yet to say or look at her, knew exactly was he was feeling, and she knew that something was coming, something that not even a Hokage could perceive. But she also knew, that the black sun was only a sign of terrible events happening but what would come after it were positives that could shape lives, it was only the black moon that she was afraid of.

But still Hiruzen, he could feel hatred in the air and in the water that he drunk, on his skin, was this the hatred of the Kyūbi or something else. Would Minato defend his family from this hatred or would he fall trying to protect them. Either way Hiruzen knew that a father's will to protect their family was among the strongest forces in the world, but it was the mother that was truly scary and if Tsunade was the mother, it's as suicide as punching a bear in the nose and not expecting to be shredded apart.

The thought of a protective and most likely lethal, Tsunade, sent shivers down Hiruzen's spine, he could scare her with her temper since she was a child and he was still afraid of her now. And he knew that he was going to be the farthest away from Tsunade during the birth and will quite possibly snap Minato in two during the birth. But for Minato he was expected to be there since he was the father, Hiruzen pitied the blonde man a little. But still there were perks to being at the birth, such as holding the defenceless child in your arms, completely dependent on their parents until they were ready to stand on their own two feet and would handle the world themselves, though there would come a day where the child would lose it's innocence, mainly if it became a shinobi.

The potential the child would exhibit could make even Danzō froth at the mouth form just thinking about it. If it was a monster like it's own great-grandfather than Danzō would kill to have that kind of power under his belt. Hiruzen was not fool enough to believe the excuses Danzō would make to cover his trail and any other under handed tactics that he would use to his advantage. Homura and Koharu would even support him if the baby exerted any potential of it's parents and ancestors.

Even now Hiruzen, with mastery of all five nature transformations would admit that he was still inferior to the prowess of the Shodaime Hokage. Although he was sure he could still trump the Nidaime Hokage.

The Sandaime now had the Senju compound in his view where he would discuss with Tsunade and Minato the circumstances of the Senju heir's birth.

* * *

So now they were sitting in a room perfect for the occasion, in-front of him was Tsunade (who was seven months pregnant) and Minato who looked a little nervous, probably worrying over bad news that wouldn't come. Tsunade had also adopted a worried face, most likely (just the same as Minato) was worrying over the encroaching birth of her future heir.

"Tsunade, as you know full well what will happen in less than two months." said Hiruzen stressing the fact of the birth. "The elders and the clan heads have emphasised the importance of this delivery, they want the new Senju heir to be healthy and strong and, when you are undergoing labour, that everything is perfect and and there are no complications, some say it's for the future strength of the village while others are wishing for your happiness, but I'm afraid of I have to agree with them, after what happened with Kushina, your child was exposed to the chakra of the Kyūbi no Yoko, there may already be complications because of that. Danzō has advocated several chosen ANBU members, ANBU from ROOT, to be your midwives while also a squad will act as your protection during the birth. However I know his scheme, so instead I informed the council that I had already chosen midwives and a select few personal guards to act as protection, ANBU members under my direct command and are immensely loyal to me and Minato." clarified Hiruzen over a meeting between the clan heads and the elders, he almost laughed when he saw Danzō's face at having lost his prize. Besides Danzō almost seemed like a person who would rip babies away from their mothers.

"Thank you-sensei." said Tsunade gratefully, at least she would not have Danzō's lackey's watching her every move, although the squad of ANBU and the chosen midwives were none negotiable. She would have liked to have Shizune help deliver her baby but her schedule had been damning this entire time and she would be unable to help with the delivery, although Tsunade was a little disappointed at that, she knew that Shizune wasn't always at her beck and call.

"For extra safety precautions, I have chosen a location, a little outside the village but not too far away where you can give birth in relative peace and safety. With Danzō leaking information of the baby it has all the clan heads wary of the other villages. Even now, the Senju clan's power and influence as well as their legacy have not been forgotten by today, many clans would like nothing more than to revitalise the Senju clan within their own village, even Ōnoki would love nothing more than to have the most powerful clan in the world under his thumb." continued Hiruzen. "Biwako will be one of your midwives, she has experience and knowledge on baby delivery, her assistance will be of utmost help, and an ANBU medic by the name of Taji will be assisting her. "

"We already have the ANBU unit on standby and the location has already been prepped for the delivery, we even sealed the location with a powerful barrier should anyone defeat the ANBU outside." assured Biwako, easing some of Tsunade's tensions.

"This seems like overkill, that many precautions for an unborn child." said Tsunade bewildered at what she was hearing.

"Unfortunately, while I was able to negotiate a compromise with the protection guard and the midwives, the elders insisted on a barrier to be set during the birth." said Sarutobi which made Tsunade sigh a little.

"Well I don't really have a choice do I." said Tsunade asking a rhetorical question. She then felt a felt a warm pressure on her hand and looked to the left to see Minato giving her a spirit-lifting smile which calmed her more, at least the father would be there to see it through.

"Kakashi won't breath a word of this to anyone, since I know he's listening right now. Right Kakashi." said Minato calling out to Kakashi.

Said ANBU member appeared out of no where and said.

"Yes, Minato-sensei." before disappearing again without a trace.

"Well it seems everything has been sorted so, all we can do now is wait." said Minato. With a happy smile and Tsunade smiled with him too, she was going to be something which she always dreamed of being, and the package that would be delivered would not be too far away.

"So have you thought of names yet?" questioned Biwako as she was curious to know the name of the new Senju heir coming into the world.

"If it's a girl, we'll call her Tsubomi, it seems fitting for her in Tsunade's words. And if it's a boy, we'll call him, Naruto, the name of the main character in Jiraiya-sensei's first novel, that isn't smut." said Minato speaking for both himself and Tsunade. When Minato had discovered that Tsunade had bet on the gender of the child, he was of course exasperated from the thing, as the baby was undoubtedly a boy, given Tsunade's gambling luck and any bet in particular, so it was a boy, ruining the surprise for Minato. And Tsunade was adamant that the baby would be a girl, so much as she had already gone and decided upon a name, while Minato had chosen Naruto from Jiraiya's novel, one of his favourites and would hope that his own son would be like the character in the book.

"Wonderful names they are." said Hiruzen happy for both parents. But still it was going to be a boy, since Tsunade had bet on a girl, he would have to tell Jiraiya and anyone else in the village to bet on a boy, since people were betting one which sex the Senju heir would be. So Hiruzen might as well cash in all his money on a boy, since he had just won the bet.

"It's best if your prepare yourselves, for when the time comes, expect anything to happen regarding this birth." said Biwako with her and Hiruzen leaving the Senju clan compound leaving Tsunade and Minato alone.

"I still can't believe that the baby is almost here." said Minato with a smile, and for Tsunade it was the same thing, she was eagerly counting down the days until it's arrival, it would be surreal for her, not being pregnant since she had grown used to it, she would sometimes wake up from her naps because the little one within kept kicking her, and with each passing day the kicks would become stronger and stronger, it was just like her child to be strong, like her.

However, she was also scared. Because of Danzō leaking word to the other village's it means her child will always be a target for other shinobi of the villages. They would either kidnap the child or kill it so it wouldn't become a threat to them in the future, but so long as Minato and herself were alive, it would make their enemies pause in their attempts, as both were highly regarded as the strongest of their fields.

But still, her life will not become easier once the baby was born.

* * *

Two months later Biwako and Tsunade were heading to the location where the baby would be born, it was a long walk and an annoying one for Biwako as Tsunade was slow because her belly was now huge and the blonde would complain about her breasts making her shoulders stiff. Biwako was slightly surprised that Tsunade didn't keel over and fall to the ground from all the weight she was carrying.

To Biwako's knowledge Minato and the squad of ANBU were already at the location, waiting for them and Biwako was no pushover when it came to being a kunoichi, she could more than handle protecting Tsunade from any threat that would harm them on the way to the location. Hiruzen had stayed behind at the Hokage tower, tending to Minato's duties because of the blonde man preparing for the birth. Although the Sandaime did grumble about paperwork he was quickly silenced by a glare from his wife.

But still, Hiruzen told Biwako that the black sun was still trailing the retired Hokage, for whatever reason the black sun was following after Hiruzen it meant that something was going to happen, but still Biwako stressed that nothing would happen and everything would go right as rain and Tsunade's child will enter the world without complaint.

"How much longer are we going to walk? My feet are sore." questioned Tsunade as she rubbed her sore shoulders, because of the pregnancy Tsunade's breasts had swelled with milk so to feed the baby when it was born, so her already large breasts were even bigger, something Jiraiya commented on saying that if Tsunade's breasts got any bigger she wouldn't be able to move let alone stand, unfortunately at the time Tsunade had heard him and he spend the next two moths in intensive care eating through a drip and having Minato constantly saying 'told you not to say anything about her breasts'. But throughout the pregnancy Tsunade had a happy glow around her, she smiled more and she was kinder to those around her, Biwako knew this glow all too well, as she had that certain glow shen she was pregnant.

"A couple of hours at the pace we'er travelling at." answered Biwako with a stalwart face as she was mildly annoyed with her husbands former student. How come she had to be the one escorting Tsunade, the woman was as cranky as a shark with a toothache. Although Biwako did understand a little of what Tsunade was feeling, as she was very cranky when she was pregnant with her two boys and her husband had to take her abuse such as the mood-swings and food cravings.

"But can't Minato just, I don't know, reverse summon us with **Hiraishin** and we can be there quicker." moaned Tsuande in annoyance, but with those words did Biwako stop in her stride with her eyes overshadowed by her hair and a dark aura to surround her.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU THINK OF THAT SOONER!" Yelled Biwako to Tsunade where the brown haired woman's became bloody red and glowing while her teeth became fangs. Tsunade recoiled a little from the yelling in exasperation. No it really wasn't her fault that she failed to think of that. "Oh come on, we have a long walk."

Despite the walk, Tsnuade was still excited, well except for the labour pains that came with childbirth, she would be able to continue the Senju clan just as her ancestor's wanted her to, even the village had been wanting a Senju heir for sometime, the council and the clan heads wanted her to bear strong children so to continue the mighty clan's legacy, although she had been rather stubborn and refused nearly every man that wished to win her affection. It was just after the death of Dan did she refuse. But still, she couldn't kill a baby before it was born, as a medic and a mother it just wasn't part of her nature.

Although still scandalous she would never get rid of the child nor would she abandon it, the only way she could abandon her child was if she was forced to, to protect it's life, that was the only reason why. She would go any distance for her child, even if it meant death, 'that' was part of her nature. She was even already making plans to take her child to her clan's house on a beach on the Land of Fire. Her grandfather and father would take her there some times when they had the time, before the First Shinobi world war. Before all that death.

Even now she still remembered the great war as if it was yesterday, she would always fear for her father when he would go and fight on the battlefields against the other villages, both her grandfather and father perished during those times, and the Shodaime Hokage and his son along with the other shinobi's who fought and died for their village were given a proper burial, although her grandfather was still able to fell many of their enemy back then with little to no trouble.

After her grand fathers death her grand-uncle, Tobirama Senju was installed as the Nidaime Hokage, he was able to thin out a shaky armistice between the village's so they could recover from their losses, but the world was still embroiled in the First World War. Tobirama also developed Konoha's organisational system, and also established may organisations within the village such as the academy, ANBU, the Chūnin exams and the Military police force which he handed over to the Uchiha clan.

And he died also and her teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi became the Hokage and now Minato, the father of her child was also Hokage, it can be said that her child had Hokage blood flowing through their veins.

She was so engrossed with her thoughts that she didn't notice a black haired woman carrying a bundle walking in front of her, Tsunade barely stopped herself from bumping into her but was able to get her footing at the last minute.

She then saw that the woman was Mikoto Uchiha, the wife of Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the Uchiah clan and military police force.

"Oh, hello Mikoto." greeted Tsunade politely and fully seeing the bundle within the Black haired woman's arms, Tsunade could make a small head of black hair and two tiny, pudgy arms.

"Good day Tsuande-sama." said respectfully and bowing a little to the Senju clan head. "And to you as well Biwako-sama."

"What brings you out here today." asked Biwako with a happy smile.

"Just running some errands today, and taking this little on here for a tour of the village." said Mikoto looking down upon the small babe in her arms, Tsunade and Biwako also looked down to see Mikoto's three month old baby open his eyes revealing coal orbs but also a hint of innocence in them.

"Oh did you have a girl?" questioned Tsunade as she poked the baby's cheek and adored the feeling of it.

"No, it's a boy, his name is Sasuke." answered Mikoto still staring down at her youngest son.

"Ow, the name of my husband's father." said Biwako a little surprised at that fact.

"Yeah, we gave him that name in hopes that he would become a great ninja like his namesake." replied Mikoto explaining the origin of the baby's name.

"Well, maybe when I have my little girl the two of you can be the best of friends." said Tsunade smiling gleefully.

'knowing her luck, it's a boy already.' thought Mikoto and Biwako with a sweatdrop. And they also wondered that if Tsunade wanted a girl she should have bet on a boy instead, but it was too late now.

"Well, I do hope all goes well with the birth." voiced Mikoto extedning her good wishes onto Tsunade.

"Thank you, goodbye cutie." said Tsunade as she rubbed the tuft of black hair Sasuke had. And with that all three women left to go their own ways, Mikoto went straight for the Uchiha compound while Tsaunde and Biwako were working their way towards the safe location where the busty, blonde could give birth.

"BY the way, if you have labour pains, keep your voice down and make sure the baby doesn't come out." said Biwako annoyed at the thought.

"Um okay."

* * *

At the Konoha cemetery, Kakashi Hatake, only surviving student of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was currently standing before the tombstone of his teammate, Rin Nohara. Even to today, Kakashi carried with him a cloud of depression at the losses of his teammate Rin and Obito Uchiha, they had died during the Third Shinobi World trying to protect their village from the invading forces of the other villages.

Obito died when bouldes came crashing down upon him and Rin, Kakashi would have died there if it wasn't for Obito pushing him out of the way to save his friend. And the Uchiha even gave him a parting gift, the Sharingan, the powerful and renowned Kekki Genkai of the Uchiha clan, Obito gave it to him as a way to better protect Rin and his comrades and friends, Making Kakashi the first person outside of the clan to wield the Kekki genkai.

However, despite the power the Sharingan granted him, Kakashi still was unable to protect Rin where he killed her with his own Jutsu **Chidori** piercing her heart and effectively killing her. That time had left Kakashi traumatised for a long period, and he would often wake up during the night in a cold sweat and would continue to wash the hand that killed Rin, trying ti rid himself of the imaginary blood on his hand.

Kakashi had tried to suppress those emotions that would hinder him as a ninja. Minato, his teacher, had tried to help Kakashi rid himself of the pain by inducting him into the ANBU, it worked for a time but still the emotions were there, so Minato instead had Kakashi protect Tsunade, who was pregnant with his first child, for the remaining time for the pregnancy. And Minato was able to see a change in Kakashi, the aura the masked ninja gave was slightly lighter, less dark. Maybe it was the right decision to have Kakashi protect Tsunade.

So now, here Kakashi was standing before Rin's grave, happier than he has ever been in a while, though no less disconnected.

"Sorry that I haven't seen you in a while, it's not like I had forgotten about you, Minato-sensei's son, is going to be born soon, although Tsunade, the mother bet on a girl, so it's a boy. If you're wondering, yes, I can speak of this freely this, since everyone in the village knows, a new generation who won't be born to the sins of war but relative peace and harmony. If only were that lucky, if only we were born later. Minato-sensei is excited, I've never really seen him smile that much except around Kushina. Tsunade is also excited... I wish I could tell you more, but I have to go tell Obito, he'd want to know too." said Kakashi as he slowly walked out of the cemetery towards the memorial stone where Obito's name was carved into, a hero of Konoha.

But unbeknownst to Kakashi there was a dark presence trailing his shadow. The presence was a black cloak man who was walking up to the tombstone Rin where the he stared at it for a couple of seconds. He then grasped the flowers in the pots by the headstone and discarded them almost like it was an insult to the person lying in the grave.

* * *

Kushina meanwhile was walking down a street, it was near the due-date for Tsunade birth and she was still guilty over what happened months ago, luckily most of the information surrounding the incident was kept under lock and key, although Minato and the elders were less than pleased at what happened.

She almost killed a person, and it was Mito that taught her that Jinchūriki, have to be filled with love to temper the hatred of their respective tailed beast.

She walked down an alley on her way to her apartment where she would spend the rest of the day since her shinobi license was currently suspended, as punishment for almost killing Tsunade, she's lucky that she was still a shinobi to begin with.

However she then felt a sharp jolt against the back of her neck and her eyelids became heavy and she faded into unconsciousness where the world became dark around her.

* * *

"MY GOD IT HURTS!" screamed Tsunade at the top of her lungs as she was in labour. She had gone into labour a little over two hours ago and the pain was already unbearable for her, it almost felt like she was being split in half.

"Push Tsunade, push." said Biwako who remained clam throughout the while thing. Her assistant Taji was currently helping out in anyway she could.

Minato meanwhile was currently backed into a corner he had at first been at Tsunade's side, holding her hand through the labour process, but as soon as the blonde haired woman used her super human strength on him in the form of crushing his hand and nearly breaking his arm did he back away for his own safety.

"YOU! SON OF A BITCH! YOU DID THIS TO ME!" screamed Tsunade again as she was hit by another contraction, her comment made Minato shrink in fear as their was this underlying darkness to her comment.

"Just keep pushing!" shouted Biwako in reply.

"HURRY UP AND GET OUT OF ME!" roared Tsunade as she felt another contraction incoming.

"Come on Tsunade, just one more push, I can see the head, this is why women are stronger than men, if this was a man, they'd be dead already." said Biwako. But it felt like Tsunade's baby almost refused to come out, it felt content staying in the nice warm place it was residing in the for the last nine months.

"MINATO ONCE I'M DONE WITH YOU! NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO TELL IF IF YOU'RE A MAN ANYMORE!" bellowed Tsunade threatening Minato who went pale and almost fainted at the thought, he knew that is was the right decision to stay where he was and not get involved. For his own life and safety.

She screamed once more in pain, it felt like forever that she felt anything like this, or wounds on the battlefields were a massage to what she was going through. She gave one last push, and in an instant the pain was gone and her screaming was replaced by another's

She and Minato could hear the shrill cry, piercing the quiet and the wailing was crystal clear and loud as a bell. There was little doubt about it.

Their child was here with them.

Biwako was currently checking the baby's health, which really wasn't needed as the baby's cries was proof enough that is was an incredibly healthy baby. Tsunade sat herself up from her position and looked over to Biwako as she was currently cleaning the newborn and in the corner of her eye she saw Minato coming over to her.

He took her hand in his and held it tightly.

"You did it." he whispered ever so softly and Tsunade could see tears running down his eyes. "I'm a father now."

"We did it." said Tsunade replying to Minato's earlier comment. They then saw Biwako coming over with a blue blanket covering the small bundle within and both parents could see two tiny arms, just two tiny arms. They also noticed that the baby had stopped it's wailing and crying and opted for a more quiet, pitch.

"Minato, Tsunade, say hello to your son... Naruto." said Biwako as she handed over the little boy ot his mother with his father peaking over her shoulder slightly.

"You lost the bet." whispered Minato, but Tsunade didn't listen to him, she was too focused on the perfect being in her arms, it didn't matter if she lost the bet, her son was here with her, safe and sound. She let loose a few tears in happiness as at the mere presence of her baby.

She inspected every little detail about him, he was so small compared to her and Minato, so innocent and frail. The little one in her arms would be completely dependent on her and Minato. But now all she could do for the moment was drink in his appearance.

He had a round face, common for babies but it seemed when it came to face shape he took after her. He had a tuft of golden hair upon his head that made him even cuter and it was slightly spiky, possibly another trait he inherited from his father. He also had her eye shape and her cute nose. But the strangest thing was that and probably the most prominent feature about him were three whisker like marks on his cheeks, giving him a vulpine appearance.

"Where did these whisker marks come from?" questioned Tsunade, but she wasn't angry about them, it just made her son all that much cuter.

"Possibly a side-affect of being exposed to the Kyūbi's chakra." stated Minato believing that was the logical answer.

And at that moment little Naruto decided to squirm a little and finally opened his eyes, and his parents gasped at the sheer beauty they beheld, they were a sapphire blue, Minato's eyes, for Tsunade it felt like she was staring into the ocean.

The first thing the newborn saw was the face of his mother, staring down at him, and the first thing he did was giggle at the woman and his mother along with his father found themselves smiling too at the touching.

"He's magnificent." said Tsunade as she kept staring at her giggling son.

"Yeah, and when he's older, he'll be quite the womaniser, with thousands of women chasing after him." said Minato predicting the possible future of his son.

"None of those skanks will be worth my little Naru-chan, and if they want him, the'll have to fight each other for him." said Tsunade tightening her fist where veins appeared, probably a physical symbol of how protective she'll be in the future. In response to what she said her son made a slight gurgling sound which made Minato chuckle a little. At that time Biwako returned with a squad known as the Hokage guard platoon.

"Tsunade, sorry to say this, but with your health in mind, we need to give you a sedative to recover from the stress of the birth." said Biwako to which Tsunade nodded and handed Naruto over to Biwako who made a slight fuss over being separated from his mother while Taji gave Tsunade a sedative to which the blonde woman fell to sleep rather quickly, this was only for her best interest as the stress from the birth had taken it's toll on her body and she needed to rest from it.

The three Hokage guards gathered around Tsunade and stated to Minato that they were going to take Tsunade to the hospital to recover and they were going to use **Hiraishin** to do that. Minato trusted them, as they were shinobi hand picked to protect the Hokage and his family and Minato taught them how to use the **Hiraishin** though they could only do so when all three of them formed a triangle.

The three unnamed men gathered around Tsunade's resting form and then, they were gone.

* * *

Minato seemed to breath a sigh of relief knowing that Tsunade was safe. And he also knew that more tests were to be run on Naruto to make sure he was perfectly healthy.

It was now a fact, Minato was a father now, his son Naruto was perfectly healthy and he couldn't wait to be a part of his life. He decided from early on that he would be a good father, not too strict or protective and giving Naruto the freedom he needed as he could sense that the small blonde would grow up into a highly self-confident man.

And if Naruto ever grew arrogant because of his lineage, name or his power, then Minato was sure to eradicate that arrogance by taking him on a training trip where he could beat the arrogance out of him.

Minato's thoughts were abruptly halted when he heard a scream and saw Biwako and Taji fall to the ground lifeless and cries of fear emante from Naruto.

"Biwako, Taji!" shouted Minato hoping that the two women were still alive.

"Yondaime Hokage, Minato." said a dark voice that radiated hatred. He was a man wearing a black cloak, obscuring most of his body, except for his hands, he was currently wearing a white mask with flame like patterns on it, and he held Naruto with a hand over his body. "Tell me, the identity of the Jinchūriki is or your son will die at the age of only five minutes."

'this man, how did he get past the ANBU squad and the barrier, who's face lies behind the mask.' thought Minato as he narrowed hi eyes in rage while also trying to remain calm in this situation.

"Tell me, who the Jinchūriki is... I wonder if you care at all, if your son dies." continued the man as a kunai suddenly appeared in his hand and pointed it towards Naruto who continued to cry. Seeing his son in danger, Minato attemtped to calm down the situation.

"Wait, calm down, we can settle this peacefully." said Minato in a last ditch attempt to save his son without the nee of violence.

"You should really speak for yourself, Yondaime, I'm as calm as can be." said the man as he threw Naruto into the air and jumped up and attempted to stab the child with a killing blow, while Naruto wailed on, however Minato with his amazing speed caught Naruto in mid-air and landed on the wall.

"Well, I must hand it to the 'Kiroii Senkō' you truly live up to your moniker." complimented the masked man as he landed on the ground. "However, what about the next one." said the man as he made a single handseal where paper-bombs attached to Naruto's blanket lit up like a fuse.

Minato with quick thinking and reactions threw the blanket off Naruto and used the **Hirashin** to teleport himself to one of his safe houses which respectively blew up because of the bombs, Minato meanwhile was able to escape the blast at the last second by leaping out of the door. And onto the soft grass and also inspected the damage done to his safe house.

"It's ok you're sa-" however he stopped his comment as he noticed that he wasn't holding Naruto but a wooden puppet in his arms, one in the shape of a baby. Minato gritting his teeth threw the baby puppet away where it broke against a tree where it's parts and cogs broke apart from the impact. He also noticed a large splinter in his leg which he pulled out.

'was it genjutsu, no I could clearly sense Naruto's small chakra, he must have used the **Kawarimi no jutsu** **(replacement technique)** on Naruto at the last minute, right before I jumped or maybe before he set off the bombs, whoever he is, he's fast and strong as he was able to keep one step ahead of me... But I do know a part of his plan, he's after Kushina... and he's after Naruto.' thought Minato as he flicked the splinter and teleported with **Hiraishin**.

* * *

Elsewhere Kushina groggily opened her eyes, and was starting to gain an awareness of her surroundings, she could make out this sound, it sounded like screaming, screaming from a baby. Her eyes snapped open and she could see everything perfectly. But the thing she was scared of most, was a masked man in front of her and he was currently holding a golden haired baby. She tried to move but she found her arms were bound with Fūinjutsu against many rocks around her.

"Don't bother, those seals are connected to your chakra, you won't be able to break them yourself." said the man as he ignored the screaming of the child in his arms. Kushina widened her eyes in horror as she recognised that shade of yellow and it didn't take long for her to realise that was Minato's and Tsunade's baby.

"Just... what do you want? And what do you want with baby? he's done nothing to you." said Kushina trying to discern the mans motives and why he wanted Minato's son.

"I came to rip the Kyūbi from your stomach and use it's power to destroy Konoha." said the man bluntly. He then looked down at the little, blonde bundle in his arms, shrieking for it's mother. "And as for this little one. A Senju is rather valuable, he will become a fine student and weapon for me in the future."

"What!? How can you just!" questioned Kushina utterly repulsed at turning an harmless infant into nothing more than an emotionless weapon to be used and discarded.

"Minato's teleportation technique allows him to move instantly between designated markers at a speed that others can't track. He incorporated one his jutsu formula into your seal, all so eh could protect you, but I've managed to not only distance him from you but also him and Naruto, who he's yet to mark." spoke the man revealing the mechanics between the **Hiraishin**. "When you lashed out against Tsunade, it greatly but subtly weakened the seal holding the Kyūbi at bay... Do you not know how long I've waited for this moment!"

and from the dark hole in his mask did it reveal a single Sharingan eye which pierced Kushina's subconscious to where the Kyūbi was sealed. The fox was currently pinned to a great floating rock by many stakes through it's body and tails and chains wrapped around it's form, restricting it's movement even more.

'you are' thought the Kyūbi in recognition at the mans chakra. And in a second it's two slitted eyes became Sharingan but the tomoe and the ring disappeared from view so to not allow others to realise it was being manipulated.

"Come forth, Kyūbi no Yōko!" said the man as a spectral figure of the Fox's head appeared from the seal on Kushina's belly where the woman was surrounded in a shroud of the fox's chakra. The spectral figure roared as if it was the fox itself and then flew into the sky where it started transforming into flesh, blood and bone of the Nine Tailed Fox where finally it's nine sweeping tails appeared signalling that the strongest Bijū was set free from it's cage and it roared in triumph and being let loose.

Kushina after having her respective tailed beast ripped from her body, fell atop the rock where the last remnants of the Bijū's chakra pulsed out of her body.

"Good. Now the three of us can head to Konoha." said the man still cradling the newborn Naruto in his arms who was frightened of the roaring of the Kyūbi and on instinct began crying even more for his parents.

The downed form of Kushina, who after going through the extraction process, wearily lifted her body as if it a great weight was upon her shoulders.

"Hold it. I won't let you have... Minato's son." said Kushina with determination in her eyes, even though the child was also Tsunade's he was also Minato's son, so she would protect the offspring of the man she loved most. Her words make the masked man stop in his stride and turn to look at her with a possibly surprised expression behind that mask of his.

"Truly, the Uzumaki clan are amazing shinobi, even after wrenching a tailed beast from your body didn't outright kill you." He then mentally commanded the Kyūbi to ready itself to attack Kushina. "It's only fitting that as it's former Jinchūriki, that the beast itself should kill you."

In a swift moment the Kyūbi reared it's massive paw and slammed it against the rock Kushina was lying and and most of the surrounding rocks were crushed by it's strength and a small shockwave ensued.

However in a swift flash did Minato save Kushina in time from being crushed and landed on a tree, carrying Kushina bridal style, he could rescue her because she was still marked with the **Hirashin**. Minato was currently wearing his headband and Hokage coat and flak jacket, he returned to one of his safe-houses to prepare himself to battle the masked man and didn't have enough time to warn Sarutobi of the impending threat of the Kyūbi.

"Well, a small flash of hope, even now he lives up to his nickname, too bad that it's already too late." said the man as he saw Minato land on a tree with Kushina in his arms.

"Minato... he has your son." said Kushina tiredly with sweat pouring down her forehead.

"It's ok, I'll rescue him." said Minato reassuringly trying to remain calm even though he was a mess on the inside.

"Minato... stop him and the Kyūbi, they're heading for the village... to destroy it... and he'll make your son into a weapon." spoke Kushina, telling her Hokage of what the man plans to do with the Kyūbi and Naruto. And in his nature, Minato glanced behind his back, glaring at the Kyūbi and the masked man, before jumping away with **Hiraishin** to one of his safe-houses.

"So he flew off again, well, never mind. Lets go Naruto, we have a village to destroy after all." said the man walking away with the baby in his arms.

When he arrived he allowed to Kushina to rest from the traumatic experience and he quickly flew to the village, s to defend it from the unseen enemy.

* * *

In the village it was a peaceful night, with shooting stars flying through the sky and the lights in the sky illuminating the darkness. Everyone in the village was happy and content at the serenity flowing through the streets and air.

Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy were currently walking through one of the village's market place's where an assortment of all types of trade goods and food could be found, people were happily drinking away their troubles and or their happy times. The mood in the village was happy overall, it's like nothing could ruin the moment for anyone, husbands were enjoying their time with their wives and friends were creating ever more bonds with each other.

"Why don't we do, Rock, Paper, Scissors again tonight." suggested Kakashi as the last thing he wanted to do was to undertake another of Guy's challenges, Rock, Paper, Scissors was better than walking around the village just on their hands was far too troublesome, elsewhere some Nara men were currently sneezing.

"Not that again, think of something more exciting, I want a more hot-blooded contest, How can you call yourself my rival?" Said Guy intent on having Kakashi accept his challenge to determine who was stronger.

"We have an early start tomorrow and I have a mission also, so lets pass for the night." said Kakashi trying to escape from his self-appointed rival.

"Don't use a mission as a excuse, I have all this pent up energy inside me. Now is the time for diligent training! Honest-to-goodness discipline and hard work lead to success in future missions!" he then turned around when he noticed Kakashi had stopped walking. "Are you even listening to me!"

"Say, Guy... Do you sense something... off?" spoke Kakashi as he contemplated this feeling he was having. "Like there's an awful chill in the air..."

"It's your attitude that's causing it! We're only young once!" shouted Guy exasperated at Kakashi.

At the Uchiha compound, which was mostly empty for a unknown reason where two children sitting on a wooden step to a house. Things were mostly quiet, which was strange, as not even crickets could be heard, and the moon's light was dull, not it's shining radiance it usually had, a small boy no less than four years old, was currently holding a small baby only three months old.

"What... is this feeling?" said the boy aloud as around that moment the baby he was holding began crying too over the awful feeling in the air. "There, there." said the boy trying to calm the baby down so to stop crying.

'just what is this feeling, and why now since mom and dad are gone' thought the boy worriedly over the feeling. Even with the attention he was giving the infant he was content with crying.

"Don't worry Sasuke, your big brother will protect you no matter what." said the boy to his infant brother trying to calm the baby and himself at the strange feeling in the air.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was currently doing paperwork in his office suddenly had this cold feeling run down his spine, he had only ever felt this feeling once, before when his father died, and it wasn't the black sun, but the black moon, a sign that he could feel something terrible was about to happen and nothing good would come from it.

'it can't be.' thought Hiruzen at the feeling of the black moon, he then looked out his window at the blazing full moon in the sky and the twinkling stars accompanying it.

* * *

At that moment, the masked man who had taken the baby Naruto to a safe location landed in the village softly and without a sound, he had effortlessly snuck into the village and the next phase of his plan would now happen. He had waited forever just for this moment, all that planning and the careful steps that came with it.

"**Kucihyose no jutu (Summoning technique)**!" yelled the man s he slammed his hand against the ground and seals appeared from his palm. A few seconds passed and nothing happened nothing but silence.

And suddenly a plume of massive smoke appeared which created wind currents that were blowing people of their feet and making them tumble to the ground, everyone in the village were wondering just what was happening, however, everyone of them could feel this dark malevolent force wash over them like a tidal wave.

They recovered from the backlash of the strong wind currents and were moaning in annoyance at what forced them to the ground.

"What happened?

"Was it an accident?"

But, only until now did they notice a silhouette in the shadows, the silhouette was as large as the Hokage Mountain and the only distinguishable feature it had were two glowing red eyes and a snarling of a beast.

"That's. N-no way!"

And from the plume of smoke roared the Kyūbi in all it's might and power with it's gargantuan tails whipping about behind it. It's roar filled everyone in fear to the shinobi, civilians and even he children. A phenomena like this has never happened in the Leaf village before and everyone knew, it would be the longest day in the history of the Leaf Village had begun.

Everyone began running for their lives knowing that they were ants compared to a mountain as the fox could easily crush them just by stepping on them, people were toppling over others falling and tripping to get away from the nine tailed Bijū. They scooping up children in their arms so to protect them from the massive fox, not knowing that it would do little to stop the rampaging beast.

"Attack, Kyūbi." said the masked man. The fox howled loudly in response and with it's claws that could shred mountains is began laying waste to the Village hidden in the leaves. It tails were smashing up the village with ease and people were being thrown about by it's attacks, devastation was wrought and people were losing their lives to the beast as if they were lambs to the slaughter.

And Fire, that was all that could be seen, fire in the sky, inside the mountains and turning the sky auburn, the fire was spreading like a cancer around the village, it's flames engulfing buildings and causing them to topple over like domino's with rubble landing on villagers crippling and killing them while soon being swallowed by the flames themselves.

The Kyūbi let loose a mighty shockwave from it's roar which created a field of destruction and death in it's wake and the fire followed after it. People were trying to escape but their small legs were not fast enough to escape the wrath of the fox destroying their village. People of all ages were powerless against the beast. Just what could stop a force of nature as strong as the Kyūbi no Yōko. Was this even a natural disaster?

An ANBU member appeared in the office of the Sandaime Hokage, with urgency and fear laced in his voice. It seemed that what was happening outside had struck his heart just as it had struck the village.

"Sandaime-sama, The Kyūbi... the Kyūbi has suddenly appeared in the village!"

Hiruzen was currently prepping himself for battle by equipping his shinobi armour and weapons, he too heard the roar, and now he knew why the black moon was here, However, he never expected the Kyūbi to just appear in the village as it did.

"I'm aware of that, I will suppress it while you and the others evacuate and protect the civilians." ordered the Sandaime as he finished prepping for battle while the ANBU member disappeared so to gather his comrades to aid in the evacuation of the civilians who couldn't fight.

'did something happen to Kushina? How could such a thing happen?' thought the Sandaime trying to deduce what exactly happened to Kushina.

* * *

"Damn you Kyūbi! This is the moment I can release all my pent up power!" Yelled Guy as he readied himsefl to face the Nine tailed Demon fox.

"Don't be hasty Guy, and don't be stupid, that's the Kyūbi, you don't stand a chance." said Kakakshi trying to reason with Guy. "We should retreat and regroup with the Sandaime, and counter attack the Kyūbi with synchronised attacks."

"Come one! I'll be you opponent!" yelled Guy as he struck a pose in the shape of a bird, which might have made the Kyūbi sweatdrop at the young man.

However a hand stopped him form encroaching further.

"Gather immediately in the guardroom and await further orders from the Sandaime."

"Hiruzen-sama?" said Guy pondering the Sandaime orders.

"You heard him Guy, lets go." said Kakashi as they went to the guardroom so to prepare themselves for the Hokage's orders.

* * *

Meanwhile the Nine tails was being bombarded by explosive bombs from all sides by the pestering shinobi trying to hurt and stall it. But it merely flicked away the shinobi as if they were flies, and the paper bombs were only doing as minimal damage, which was as useful as hitting it with a rubber-band. No matter the assault on the fox it merely brushed away any and all damage to it, even powerful jutsu were having no effect on it.

"Everyone carry out the orders!" commanded Hiruzen as he summoned his faithful monkey companion, Enma who transformed into his staff form so Hiruzen could use him as a weapon.

Around that moment Minato had returned to the village and landed on his stone face of the Hokage monument, he had just returned from putting Kushina to rest, although he was fearful of her. He also knew that he would need her help to possibly defeat the Kyūbi. But there was one person he couldn't lose this night. Tsunade.

He knew the chances of him dying were high, and if so he couldn't allow Tsunade to die along with him, he couldn't leave his son an orphan and defenceless, his enemies by pounce on the opportunity of the Senju heirs parents dying. Not even the Sandaime might not be able to protect Naruto from the forces that threaten Konoha.

'As Hokage, I will protect my village and my family, right now, with every fibre of my being. This is what I need to do. I won't allow that man and the fox to do as he pleases with my village and my son.' thought Minato with a new resolve to face his enemies without fear or hesitation.

The Kyūbi sensing that Minato's presence has arrived turned to stare at the Hokage atop his stone face. Rearing it's hea and ignoring all other annoyances it had a staring competition with Minato who remained clam despite the obvious danger.

"So you noticed me already have you." stated Minato still remaining on the Hokage monument. In response the Kyūbi started gathering red and blue chakra and started forming it into a purple-black sphere and aimed it at the Yondaime where the fox fired the ball straight at the Hokage mountain. Minato in response blazed through handseals to counter the Bijūdama. If one thing was meant to remain standing in Konoha it was the proud faces of the Hokage's who have watched over it for generations.

Just as the ball was about to hit the mountain it appeared to have struck something solid and at the same time Fūinjutsu markings started appearing and encircled around the ball and it looked like it was being swallowed by a great maw before any trace of it's existence vanished. A second later a large explosion was visible and the people knew it was the resulting damage of the **Bijūdama**.

"It's the Yondaime! He's here to save us!" yelled the shinobi happy at seeing their current Hokage stand tall and proud against against the demon fox.

'I need to report on what's happened to the Sandaime, and then I have to rescue Naruto.' thought Minato but at the last second a hand appeared ready to grab him Minato countered it by stabbing his **Hiraishin** kunai into the masked mans head. But the strangest thing happened, instead of blood or at least a wound, the kunai slipped right through the masked man's head, as if it wasn't there.

Minato's arm was latched onto by the masked man's hand.

"You will face me... and it's over." Minato then saw a swirling vortex distortion appeared in the man's head and Minato felt like he was being yanked into a black hole. Reacting fast, Minato flashed away with the **Hiraishin** before he was sucked into the dimensional vortex.

"So, he got away, talk about fast... next time I'll warp you the moment I touch you." said the masked man.

* * *

Minato landed roughly on the ground with scuff marks all over his form, he had narrowly escaped the mans jutsu if it wasn't for his own jutsu. He had to return to the village to protect it from the Kyūbi, Hiruzen could only do so much and even with their combined forces they wouldn't be able to hold back the Kyūbi for long, and even with all the clans working together it may not be enough to defeat the Kyūbi.

'my attack slipped right through him. But he materialised instantly and tried to drag me away from the village into his dimension or something. Just what was that jutsu?' thought Minato breaking down the enemy's jutsu and the knowledge of how it worked.

He then saw the same swirling distortion appear in front of him and the body of the masked man popped out of it, black cloak and everything.

"You didn't think that you could escape from me." said the masked man, taunting the Yondaime.

'Whatever kind of jutsu it is, it's definitely space-time ninjutsu, is that how he was able to separate Naruto from me so quickly and vanished shortly after.' thought Minato as he picked himself up off the ground and grasped one of his kunai in his hands. 'He defeated the ANBU under Hiruzen's direct command, who slipepd through the most powerful barrier in the village and knew that the Kyūbi's seal was weakened from Kushina attacking Tsunade. He also undid the Kyūbi's seal and tamed it as a pet and... went in and out of the barrier around the village without pausing or being caught... I know of only one shinobi that has the power and capabilities to do such a thing.' thought Minato discerning the shinobi in-front of him.

"Are you Madara Uchiha?" questioned Minato trying to understand if this truly was the legendery shinobi before him. The man in response let down his hood showcasing his Uchiha-inherited black hair. "No, thats impossible, he's dead."

"Oh... I don't know about that, maybe I am Madara, maybe I'm not." said the man tilting his head a little.

"On second thought, it doesn't matter at this point... why are you targeting the village?" queried Minato, intent on learning his enemies true motives as to why he attacked the village and why he kidnapped Naruto.

"You could say I did it on a whim, or that I planned it, or maybe just for fun, or to start a war, or to being peace." replied the masked man as chain fell form the sleeve of his cloak.

'Whoever he is, he's not just some ordinary man, he's incredible, to be able to control the Kyūbi and he wields space-time ninjutsu that surpasses both mine and the Nidaime's and he has a dangerous ideology, I have to kill him now or he'll be a greater danger than the fox.' thought Minato intent on ending the man where he stood. 'If I teleport back to the village, he'll follow me and the battlefield will become even more chaotic. If he really is Madara, he won't be able to keep the Kyūbi under his control for long, I just have to have faith in Hiruzen and let him handle the Kyūbi.'

"Now that I have freed the Kyūbi there's no hope for any of you." said the man as he charged at Minato with the Yondaime copying the same action where the blonde haired man attempted to stab the masked man but like before his attack slipped through him and before long Mianto was wrapped in chains binding him. Minato with quick reflexes used the **Hiraishin** to teleport to a kunai that was around the area.

"His flesh, he becomes intangible to negate my attacks and he then makes himself materialise so to counterattack. Namely I can only aim for him when we both strike blows. But his risk lies during during the moment of attack and considering the time on the Kyūbi's summoning jutsu, he doesn't relish a long battle either. The one who attacks an instant faster than the other... Will win this match!' thought Minato as he turned around to attack the masked man ready to end the match in a literal instant.

"Lets make this more interesting." said the masked man as he created a swirling distortion from the hole in his eye and out popped Minato's newborn son Naruto crying and wailing as if he knew what was going on around him, seeing his son Minato stopped his charged and stood in fear at what the masked man was doing. "Here's what you can do, Yondaime Hokage Minato, you can go back to your village, defeat my pet and become a saviour, however, Naruto would come with me and the next time you will see him will be on the battlefield."

Minato narrowed his eyes in hatred a the man, save his village and lose Naruto, the man was preying upon his fatherly instincts while also undermining his Hokage duty.

"But if you stay and fight me, you may be able to save your son but the village will be destroyed by the Kyūbi. The choice is yours." spoke the man holdign Naruto who continued to cry as babies usually did. Minato was torn between the two choices, he loved his village, but he loved his son more, it was his duty as Hokage to protect the village and put the people's well being before his own, but as a father, could he be able to live with heartbreak of losing his only child, could he be able to face Tsunade and say that their son was taken, gone. He didn't know. He couldn't decide.

He remembered his duty, as both a father and the Hokage. He had made his choice.

'I'm sorry, Naruto.' thought Minato with an unflinching resolve in his eyes the likes of which no one had ever seen before.

Minato charged at the man again and both threw their respective weapons in the air, Minato threw his kunai at the masked man while the Uchiha threw Naruto obvisouly aware of Minato's intent, the blonde man was going to stop him, but that meant that Naruto would die, that was the third option.

The kunai Minato threw phased threw the mans head, while Naruto (Who the masked man threw with less power) was also phasing through the Uchiha. Minato charged a **Rasengan** in his right hand while the man's own right hand was inching towards Minato's shoulder. Time slowed down for the both of them, Minato's **Rasengan** wouldn't hit the Uchiha in time.

Both combatants were about to hit each other, each of their respective attacks inching closer to their enemy. Around that time baby Naruto and the kunai had exited the mans body. However it was too late for Minato as the man hand was about to touch him.

'I have you.' thought the man but before his eyes Minato disappeared right above him where he threw his kunai, while the blonde grabbed baby Naruto from air and simultaneously struck the man with the Rasengan in his back.

"**Rasengan!**" said Minato as the blue sphere of spiralling chakra grinding into the man causing him to cough up blood behind his mask. "That was **Hiraishin: Ni No Dan (flying thunder god: second step**)" said Minato as the attack pulsed and all three parties sunk into the ground via a shockwave destroying it and levelling the ground around them causing rocks spires surrounded the area. Minato with quick thinking placed a **Hiraishin** formula on the man so he wouldn't be able to escape from him.

The masked man jumped out of the created from the Rasengan's shockwave and landed on a rock spire. His left arm was nothing but mush and oozing liquid with small trails of blood on his hand, it appeared that his hand was barely clinging to his left arm.

Minato also stood from the dust cloud cradling baby Naruto in his arms defensively, and on the inside he was beyond overjoyed that his son was in his arms again.

"Hehe, you got me, so this is the word 'elusive', I should never have left my guard down." complimented the masked Uchiha. However his words were cut short as Minato teleported to his position and stabbed him in the stomach with one of his **Hiraishin **kunai which caused his mushy left hand to fall off his arm. Minato then slammed his hand against the Uchiha where a seal array appeared.

"A contract seal?" gasped the masked man as he knew exactly what it was. "You're trying to separate the Kyūbi from me."

"No, he's no longer your weapon to be used and controlled. Your plan has failed." said Minato.

* * *

At the time that Minato was battling the perpetrator behind the whole attack, the Sandaime Hokage was rallying the forces of the village to protect their home and defeat the Kyūbi. All the shinobi clans were fighting to protect their home while the relatively new clans were also adamant on protecting the home they had just found, the village was their house and the Kyūbi was an intruder in their house and they would be damned if they let the intruder destroy what was theirs.

However one clan was absent from the battle, but still Hiruzen pushed it to the back of his mind as he had other, more worrisome trouble he had to deal with.

Hiruzen had noted that nothing they were doing had any effect on the massive fox, it merely brushed away all damage damage as if dusting itself off. They would need to use more large scale jutsu and distractions so to keep the Kyūbi occupied until his successor Minato arrived, as the blonde appeared and then mysteriously disappeared which made Hiruzen pause.

"At this rate, the village will be-." said a shinobi who was giving into despair over the Kyūbi's power.

"Don't give up so quickly!" said the Sandaime. "We can't shy away, no matter how powerful the force! We have a village to protect! Lets go! Ow's the time to gather our forces and drive this thing out of the village!" yelled Hiruzen inspiring those who were listening to him and boosting morale to an unprecedented height, courage was emblazoning the hearts of those who were there, the will to protect their village was great and the Will of Fire was greater.

And with that the shinobi forces of Konoha rushed forward intent on facing the Kyūbi without fear and hesitation, their loved ones were on the line without them, they would die and they would die sooner before they let that happen.

While the shinobi were battling the Bijū the civilians and children were being evacuated.

Itachi Uchiha, heir to the Uchiha clan was running with his baby brother in his arms, heading for the safe houses designed for the villagers in case of emergency was scared out of his wits, the experience was shocking, even now he could see the bodies strewn about, some missing limbs and gushing blood, others impaled on building and trees, a four-year old boy should never experience such a thing, but he had to remain strong. Thats what his father would want, but also to be strong for his baby brother, Sasuke. The infant was dependent on him and only him at the moment, he cold only hope that he would live to see the next day.

"We won't let him jeopardise our village any longer!" said Sarutobi as he summoned Enma, ready to battle the fox, and just like him, the monkey king was also wondering how the seal had broken and what happened to Kushina, as a close confident of Hiruzen he was privy to such information.

So there he stood the Sandaime Hokage valiantly facing the beast only a few could have the courage of facing alone.

Hiruzen starting off the attack unsealed a massive Fūma Shuriken twice the size of his body and threw it at the Kyūbi who was unafraid of the incoming attack. Hiruzen went through handseals for one of his own invented jutsu that involved not only ninja tools but his teacher's own jutsu.

"**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no jutsu (Shuriken shadow clone technique)**." said Hiruzen as the single gargantuan shuriken became thousands of Shuriken of inescapable numbers and they were flying towards the Kyūbi at increasing speeds. The Kyūbi brought up it's long arms and protected itself against the oncoming Shuriken but did little to damage it as it only suffered scrapes which it quickly healed from, when it brought down it's arms, again it saw another wave of massive shuriken flying towards it only in even greater numbers.

In response the fox roared at the oncoming shuriken which created a shockwave which redirected and parried the oncoming shuriken making them fly away from their original direction and in the process destroying some builings and tearing down some trees but thankfully no one was hurt from the ninja tools.

However Hiruzen was partially annoyed at how the fox was merely toying with their attacks. The former Hokage knew that something more powerful would harm the fox.

"Lets go, Enma." said Hiruzen while said monkey companion commented on how he hadn't seen combat in a while. So Enma in his staff form changed his size and his length, so the better combat the Kyūbi as they would need something big, really big, to defeat the tailed beast.

Hiruzen jumped off the building he was standing on and swung Enma's humongous staff form which was a large as the Kyūbi's head. The staff smashed itself into the Kyūbi's face but did little than aggravate it, So Hiruzen went on the offensive even more and kept pummelling the Kyūbi with the diamond hard staff.

And after various poundings it took it seemed that the fox was momentarily stunned by the attacks as it started to look sluggish from the beatings it took from the Sandaime Hokage. And not intent on letting their leader face the fox alone the shinobi of the village assisted their Hokage as much as possible by hitting it with powerful jutsu and weapons so to stun the fox even more.

Hiruzen using Enma as a springboard and blazed through handseals to combat the fox some more.

"**Doton: Idaina Rokku Gekihen (Earth release: Great Rock Upheaval)**." said Sarutobi as he formed the necessary seals and a mighty, crumbling column of rock and stone rocketed from the ground and hit the Kyūbi at an angle causing the fox to tumble backwards from the backlash of the technique.

"Don't let up the attacks!" yelled the Sandaime as he continued planning a way to defeat the Kyūbi while in the middle of a battlefield.

"Sir Chōza Akimichi has arrived to offer support!" yelled a shinobi to the Sandaime as the old Hokage nodded. Hiruzen jumped over the crumbling buildings and fire so to rendezvous with the Akimichi clan head.

"Chōza, you know what to do." said the Sandaime as the Akimichi head nodded and formed a specific technique seal.

"**Chō Baika no jutsu (Super multi-size Technique)!**" yelled Chōza as his entire form enlarged to tremendous heights where he was now as tall as the Kyūbi. Said giant then jumped in the air in-front of the Kyūbi and began to wrestle with the demon fox, but even with his massive strength and increased size he was having trouble keeping the fox's large form off him and stopping it from shredding him into pieces.

With a mighty roar and with all his strength Chōza hefted the Kyūbi off the ground and threw it across the village as if it was a beach-ball but it recovered quickly as the attack only momentarily stunned it.

Chōza attempted to follow up his offense by trying to punch the Kyūbi in the face, but the tailed beast responded by twirling around and hitting the giant with it's nine tails causing the Akimichi head to scrape across the ground and land in a heap on the village floor where he returned to his normal size shortly after, and the Kyūbi seemed to roar in victory at what it had done.

"Keep attacking, save our loved ones no matter the sacrifice!" yelled the Sandaime as he and Enma kept attacking the Kyūbi with all his might.

"Sir, the reinforcements from the Inuzuka clan have arrived, led by Tsume Inuzuka!" yelled another shinobi. Hiruzen hearing the call, made his way over to the newly arrived forces of the Inuzuka. |

"Launch a synchronised attack with your dogs and you clan members." ordered Hiruzen giving out orders.

"Lets get this party started!" yelled Tsume as wild and exuberant as always. As she and her ninken along with most members of her clan performed their special combination attacks one of their specialty's.

"**Gatsuga (Fang passing Fang)!**" yelled the Inuzuka clan members as they combined all their respective attacks into a single attack of claw and fang. They attacked the Kyūbi head on, with ferocious speed and strength and their drilling attack was barely pushing the Kyūbi back as it was unflinching towards the attack, so the Inuzuka clan put more chakra into their attack, spinning at an even faster rate which finally forced the Kyūbi back but not very far as it recovered fro mthe attack and continued destroying the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Nothing we do has any effect!"

"Sir we have a message from Shikaku-sama, he's ready to go along with the operation. He's waiting for your signal!"

"Everyone into positions. And Launch the operation!" commanded Hiruzen. "Now Shikaku!"

Said clan head nodded his head at the aged Hokage and he and his clan used one of his clans jutsu, **Kagemane no jutsu (Shadow imitation technique)** to bind the Kyūbi in place, restricting it's movement and halting it's attack while also being vulnerable to any and all attacks.

"Now Chōza!" yelled Shikaku as the red-headed giant came charging in to deliver a powerful blow to the fox. And so the giant shinobi rammed himself into the equally giant fox with a shoulder bash which was able to stun the fox long enough for the plan to come into fruition.

"Inoichi!" yelled Chōto his former teammate and said Shinobi was using the **Shindenshin no jutsu (Mind Body Transmission technique)** to communicate with all the shinobi around them to being their counter attack.

"'Now we'll launch an offensive'" thought/said Inoichi as he communicated with the shinobi on the battlefield. "'Get ready to attack him all at once!'"

And with that said every shinobi on the front lines were soaring through handseals to perform their most powerful jutsu to use against the Kyūbi, they would put everything on the line for that to happen.

And everywhere in the village, jutsu of all kind and ninja tools were being thrown about at the Kyūbi who was still stunned from Chōza's attack the tailed beast couldn't do anything other than to take the assault and even it was surprised at the combined efforts of the village it was currently destroying.

The attacks were strong enough that it was stunned comepletely allowing Hiruzen to use Enma who grew in size and length, to jab the fox in the stomach and forcefully eject it from the village.

"I've chased it from the village, don't let up on your attacks, fight till your last breath!" rallied Sarutobi with a fierce drive to protect the village that the Shodaime and the Nidaime entrusted to him.

'Minato, where are you?' thought Hiruzen as only Minato now could turn the tide of the battle to their favour, he may be the only shinobi in the world who could defeat the Kyūbi.

* * *

"I must hand it to the Yondaime Hokage, being able to able to wound me and wrest control of the Kyūbi away from me was no small feat in itself." complimented the masked Uchiha as he was standing on a branch overlooking the Yondaime Hokage, who was holding his newborn son, Naruto closely to his chest. "However, the Kyūbi will be mine again, the fox and this world will bow to my will... Many doors are still left open for me, and there are so many ways to go about doing it." the man then started disappearing in a spiralling vortex, sucking up his body, and leaving without a trace.

'That tone in his voice, he's not lying' thought Minato as he kept staring at the spot the masked man was just at, he had discovered one thing from their battle, there was something, more precious to that masked Uchiha than just the Kyūbi, and that precious thing he was currently holding in his arms.

Back on the battlefield, many shinobi were still being slaughtered by the fox, having nearly run out of energy to fight, but the Will of Fire was still burning within them and their determination was still unwavering.

One shinobi was currently dragging a young child from the battlefield, this child currently had his brown hair in a high ponytail and a scar running across his nose.

"Let me go! My mom and dad are still fighting!" were his last words before he was dragged away.

Elsewhere, many young shinobi of both Chūnin and Jōnin were being confined to a protective barrier so to not allow them to participate in the battle against the Kyūbi on the orders of the Sandaime Hokage.

"Now listen, I don't want any of you young shinobi to face the Kyūbi you are to stay away from the battlefields." said a man with distinctive ringed, red eyes who was currently barring the way of the young shinobi.

"And just what exactly do you mean by that?!" said a girl with the same red eyes and with unkempt, black hair.

"This is not a battle between village's, this is a domestic problem. There is no reason for any of you to risk your lives." replied the man, offering no other explanation.

"That's a loud of bullshit and you know it!" said the same girl with an angry look on her face.

"Calm down, Kurenai." advised another shinobi who just happened to be one of the Sandaime's two children, Asuma Sarutobi.

"We are shinobi. We are never guaranteed a long life. But my daughter, if nothing else survive long enough to give me a grandchild, and pass the Will of Fire onto them, please make that an oath to your father... for I will put all my faith in you." said the man revealing himself to be the girl, Kurenai's father and with those words Kurenai shed a single tear before seeing her father run off into battle.

Landing atop the Sandaime's stone face was Minato still cradling Naruto in his arms, the scuffle he had with the masked Uchiha was an intense one, but the man he had faced was devious, using his own fatherly instincts against him and his duty as Hokage, but he was abel to rescue his son and stop him from becoming a weapon but he also had a village to save.

He knew the implications of a new Senju being born, the most powerful clan in the world gifted with immense amounts of life force, physical energy and stamina along with strong chakra and also being a direct descendent of the Uzumaki clan, who also had immense life force like the Senju, possibly stemming from the fact they were blood relatives. His son would also be blessed with an amazingly long lifespan because of said life force, although he had already lost some of his lifespan because of being exposed to the Kyūbi's volatile chakra before he was born. And he would likely be masterful in all forms of shinobi jutsu from ninjutsu-taijutsu-genjutsu and Fūinjutsu because of his Uzumaki heritage and would at least have understanding in jutsu he wasn't experienced with. That was what made the Senju clan famous, their mastery of all jutsu and skills.

Every nation would love nothing more than to have that under their belts, thats why Naruto was so important to the masked man, his son had the capacity to rival the Shodaime Hokahe, Hashirama Senju, maybe even surpass the 'Shinobi no Kami (god of shinobi)'.

So Minato had to find away to protect Naruto and keep the Kyūbi out of the masked man's grasp. Naruto would need a power to protect himself when he was older, right now, he was defenceless, an easy target for any of those who wish him harm. Minato and Tsunade would not be around forever to protect him, he needed a power that could be controlled and directed, a power whose presence would only benefit the small baby.

Minato already knew of such a power, for he was staring right at it.

The Kyūbi on the battlefield, was preparing a Bijūdama, ready to annihilate the pestering shinobi around it.

Hiruzen, fell to his knees in exhaustion, he wasn't as young as he used to be and hours of fighting the Kyūbi had taken a toll on his body.

"**Kuchiyose no jutsu!**" Yelled a voice and everyone saw a massive toad smoking a pipe plummet from the sky and land directly on the giant fox, pinning it to the ground, however it wasn't enough to cancel out the Kyūbi's Bijūdama which was still charging and expanding.

"It's the Yondaime Hokage!" said a shinobi who was observing Minato standing atop the chief of the toads with a small bundle in his arms. Hiruzen squinted his eyes a little to try and make out what Minato was currently holding, only did he see a head of golden hair did he realise what Minato was holding.

Minato in his mind kept repeating the words spoken to him by the masked Uchiha and how the world shall be his to toy with. Minato had to enact his plan now, there was little time and wit hthe remaining chakra he had he didn't have time to waste.

'Forgive me, Tsunade.' pleaded Minato in his mind to the mother of his child.

"Gamabunta, restain the Kyūbi for a while longer!" commanded Minato as he held Naruto tighter to his chest.

"**Look kid, I may be big, but I can't pull miracles out of my ass."** said Gamabunta in response and his annoyance at what Minato was asking.

"In order to transport something this big, I'll need just as much chakra." said Minato as the Kyūbi finished it's technique and ingested the ball of chakra ready to fire it, and Hiruzen looked ready to combat the attack but before his eyes the Kyūbi disappeared along with Minato leaving only Gamabunta sitting on the ground.

"Minato... did he fly off with the Kyūbi?" questioned Hiruzen as he surveyed the area for the demon fox. He then saw a bright explosion go off in the distance probably where Minato was so without word or warning the Sandaime ran toward their position so to assist the Yondaime, his successor, in whatever he was planning.

* * *

At the safe house where Minato teleported the Kyūbi, along with Naruto and himself, the Kyūbi had flattened everything in front of itself with it's powerful Bijūdama and destroying the safe house in the process.

Minato along with Kushina and Naruto landed on a small distance away from the Kyūbi.

"I... have to put up a, barrier." said Minato who was panting at having expended much of his chakra transporting the Kyūbi away from the village.

"My chakra's almost drained from the extraction, but I can-." said Kushina as golden chains flew from her back and started lacing around the Kyūbi and forming a barrier at the same time, preventing anyone and anything from entering or exiting, however the exertion left Kushina weakened and she was freely coughing, making Minato worry for her.

But he had his own duties to perform, Kushina was doing her part so he must do his own.

"Minato." said Kushina, with trails of blood leaking from the corners of her mouth. "Re-seal the Kyūbi into me, the trauma of the sealing will kill me, and the fox would die with me also, it's the only way to save the village and your family, besides. Extraction of the tailed beast means certain death for all Jinchūriki. I'm no exception as even with my life force that I inherited from my clan, I'm already dying so I might as well go down sooner rather than later and take the fox with me."

Minato made no facial expression nor did he say anything to the red-head in-front of him.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me." said Kushina with a smile, smiling knowing that she would be doing something positive in her remaining life. "I'm happy that we have memories together and today is your son's birthday, maybe if I didn't say no, when you proposed to me, then maybe we could have been this happy family and our future would be bright, if there's one regret I have, is that I regret hurting Tsunade and you, and my one wish... is that all three of you are happy." said Kushina relaying her feelings, But Minato was as void as space, what he heard his former love say really struck a cord with him, maybe Naruto could have been Kushina's son and they would be happy together, maybe they could have lived happily just as they were before this event happened. There were so many maybe's that is was making Minato's heart wrench inside his chest.

"You won't be killing the Kyūbi today, you won't be sacrificing yourself. Because the Kyūbi won't be dying today." said Minato in a low voice filled with shame and a grief, that sentence made Kushina jolt and she was currently wondering what her Hokage was referring to. "I'll seal mine and your chakra into Naruto as part of the **Hakke no Fūin shiki (eight trigrams sealing style) **then I shall seal the Kyūbi into me with a seal only a non-jinchūriki such as myself can use. The** Shiki Fūjin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal).** If you seal the Kyūbi and it dies, it will revive itself later and it won't be bound to a Jinchūriki, that alone will upset the balance of power between the tailed beasts but with the **Shiki Fūjin** I can seal half of of it's power within me, forever, while the remaining half..."

Minato then thought about a time when Jiraiya told him the prophecy of the Great elder toad. About a destined child who will change the world.

"Will be sealed into Naruto." spoke Minato making Kushina gasp at what he said, if he was truthful, ever since he rescued Naruto, that was his sole plan. He knew that man, Madara, wanted Naruto more then the Kyūbi, to protect his son and the village he would seal the Kyūbi into Naruto, to protect him and also, his son was the only person he could trust, who could handle the power of the Kyūbi and because of Naruto's Uzumaki lineage he was also a perfect candidate for being the Kyūbi Jinchūriki.

"I know what you want to say, but Jiraiya-sensei spoke of a coming disaster, he spoke about how a great change would come, either thrusting the world into destruction or guiding it into salvation. I confirmed two things tonight, that the man I fought is the harbinger of that change, and the spoken saviour that would stop him is my son. I think, no I believe that Naruto is the child the prophecy speaks of. The child that would pave the way to the future through his will, I just believe that... Naruto is the one the prophecy is speaking about." rebutted Minato before he could allow Kushina to speak.

"But why?" whispered Kushina as she stared down at the innocent child. Around that time Hiruzen had finally arrived but he wasn't alone, along with him, was Tsunade, who had woken up from the sedatives when she heard the violent noises around the Hidden Leaf Village, luckily sedative only worked for a while and she was up on her feet. When she discovered the village was under attack she raced around all of it, looking for the person she cared about most, her son.

Her mind was merely a haze and she had never felt such a fear before in her life, she couldn't lose her son, he was everything to her, she couldn't possibly imagine her life without him now. She later found Hiruzen who told her that Naruto was safe with Minato, but she wasn't entirely convinced by that statement so she followed him, to where Minato had taken the Kyūbi.

When she saw her baby she wasn't relieved because right next to him was the Kyūbi who was bound by chains. Motherly instinct and protective nature coming over her, her bashed against the barrier that was standing between her and her son. However no matter how hard she punched, the barrier stood strong against her attacks, it didn't even budge nor did it create a dent.

"Tsunade, stop!" said Hiruzen trying to calm down the new mother.

"How can I when my baby is in danger!" retorted Tsunade as she kept hitting the barrier hoping it would break. "I have to get to Naru-chan!"

"This barrier can restrain Bijū, you'll never be able to get through unless Kushina allows it." spoke who said the wrong thing as Tsunade was screaming at Kushina to let her in and the blonde mother now had tears streaming down her face, fear was racking her form and every second that passed it grew.

Hiruzen then saw Minato perform handseals for one of the most powerful jutsu in the world, one that the Uzumaki had slated as Kinjutsu.

Minato then slammed his palms together. "**Shiki Fūjin**!" and immediately behind Minato came the spectral figure of the death god, the Shinigami. No one but Minato was able to see the literal face of death as it was invisible to all others. "I'll put my faith in this child. He's my son after all."

"Don't tell me those seals are for." said Hiruzen to which Tsunade stopped beating the barrier with her fists, reigning herself in she knew that she could only watch and hope that her son would be alright.

"Kushina, after I've finished with the **Shiki Fūjin** I'll seal your remaining chakra into Naruto, this will be your mission, when Naruto attempts to control the fox's power, you'll be there to help him." said Minato as he prepared himself to seal the Kyūbi.

"Your son..." breathed Kushina, trying to wrap her mind around everything. "He's your son, why would you put such a burden on him! Can he carry the weight of being a Jinchūriki on his own." questioned Kushina, she remembered the time when she was taken from Uzushio to be the Jinchūriki, she knew the burdens better than anyone, she knew the raw power they were carrying. "And why the **Shiki Fūjin! **He needs you more than ever to be the Hokage and a father, why would you force him to grow up never hearing his fathers words of wisdom or more importantly, he won't hear you say, I love you. All he'll know is the words people speak about you and an unmoving, emotionless stone face on some rock, can a stone face say 'I love you' I just want you to be happy, I want you to be there for him, he may not be my son, but I don't want to wish this on anyone's child! If you use that jutsu you'll only be able to meet him for a few minutes, would that be enough for all the years he grew up, fatherless."

"Just why, why would you sacrifice the people you love most just to secure the balance of the tailed beasts, or to save a village, a nation. Why are you sacrificing all that, just to seal a beast in your son!?" shouted and questioned Kushina over Minato's motives.

"To forsake one's nation, and one's village, is the same as forsaking one's child... you of all people should understand, your homeland was destroyed... you know the pain of of growing up without a home, the harsh life that awaits those without a country. Besides, my family and my son's clan, we are all... Ninja! And if I were to survive this... I probably wouldn't survive Tsunade's wrath. Even if it's a short amount of time, I will be able to tell the things that only I can tell him, but the one thing I'll be doing in that time, is telling him the most important thing I have to say, and doing exactly what I should be doing. Because, thats a father's role. I'm not doing this just for the village, I'm doing this for Naruto, when I die, it will be his role to protect the village. I will gladly die for him, and if I was presented with the same options, I'd give my life, a thousand times over. Because I'm a father.

"Minato's going to seal the Kyūbi into Naruto." said Hiruzen understanding what was happening and informing Tsunade of what was happening, but she didn't turn to face him, she could only stare and watch events unravel themselves, just as the Shinigami was also watching what was transpiring eagerly waiting to devour the chakra it was too be offered.

The Shinigami then thrusted his arm into Minato's soul and it's ethereal looped and twirled around and where it grabbed the Kyūbi on it's hind leg.

'**Damn you, Fourth Hokage!**' thought the Kyūbi in rage as it felt it's chakra being pulled out from it's body.

"SEAL!" yelled Minato as the Shinigami's cold hand yanked out the Yin chakra of the Kyūbi and entered Minato's stomach where the seal formula was visibly seen. 'My body's gone numb, I could never dream of such a massive chakra.'

However, because they separated the Yin chakra from the Yang chakra, making the remaining Kyūbi a pure Yang entity it became smaller in size, where some of Kushina's chains which were restraining it fell off and any other chain wrapped around it's body became loose, allowing the fox to move about freely.

'**Damn you, Fourth Hokage!**' thought the Yang Kyūbi as I felt weaker after being separated from it's Yin chakra.

"It's the **Shiki Fūjin** after all." said Hiruzen making Tsunade gasp, she of course knew about the seal because of her grandmother, Mito teaching her some of the clan's seals.

"Alright, next is the **Hakke Fūin (Eight symbols seal)**." said Minato summoning a ceremonial throne with candles around it, where he gently placed the now sleeping Naruto on it.

'**A ritual alter? So he intends to seal me within that child!?**' thought the Kyūbi, understanding the situation it was in, however it was the mightiest of the Bijū, it won't allow itself to be sealed again so easily.

Kushina, coughed up some more blood form the overexertion of restraining the Kyūbi and Minato for a split second ran over to aid her, but this had unwanted consequences in giving the Kyūbi a chance to remain free and unsealed where it hefted it's claw in attempt to stab Naruto before the newborn Senju could become a major threat to it.

"NARU-CHAN!" screamed Tsunade as she saw the giant fox about to kill her only child. Time slowed down for everyone as the claw came coming down upon Naruto, and all the witnesses could see, was blood flying.

However, it wasn't Naruto's blood, Minato and Kushina, with all their strength and will pushed themselves to their limit and threw themselves in the way of the foxes attack where they were able to stop the fox's claw from striking Naruto with just a hair's breadth.

Blood from the beast's claw then leaked onto Naruto's chest both Kushina's and his father's blood was splayed ono his little chest.

"This, is a father's duty after all." said Minato as he stood there on the verge of death, he was unafraid of throwing himself before the Kyūbi, out of fatherly instinct and because he was already dead to begin with. "But Kushina why-"

"Because, I guess, this is a way of saying sorry, and to repay a debt also. Forgiveness, for I almost killed this little one in the first place and almost killed his mother, and to repay a debt because, I can protect, Mito-sama's legacy, besides, I'm was dying anyway, and he's your son after all, I made a promise to protect him, even if I was jealous of his mother, I'd still protect him, because he's your son." explained Kushina, her reasoning behind protecting Naruto.

"Kushina... thank you. **Kuchiyose no jutsu**." said Minato as he drew some blood on the palm of his hand, summoning the scroll toad, Gerotora.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH, the Nine-tails! And Yondaime-sama should I ask what happened to you?" replied Gerotora with a hint of sarcasm, as you could obviously tell what happened.

"Gerotora, I'm entrusting you the key to the Kyūbi's seal. Take it to Tsunade immediately and store it away." spoke Minato bluntly and with some urgency.

"You have my word. I'll keep the key in my possession for now." said Gerotora before he slammed his palms together so to return to his home and come back later to give the key to Tsunade, since the situation was still dangerous at the moment.

"Then, all my work here is done." muttered Minato tiredly as the Shinigami took out the tantō from it's mouth ready to harvest the souls and chakra of the Yin Kyūbi and Minato. "I guess I can, my time has run out, all thats left, is the **Hakke Fūin**, I'll seal some of our chakra into him, so we can help him in the future."

"Naruto, I'll give you some advice, that your great-grandmother gave me, yes, we are vessels, jailers of the Kyūbi, but, we first must find love and fill the vessel with it, find someone you can love with all your being and heart, their love with give you strength, they will help you endure hardships that nobody could do alone, and find someone like myself and your mother, they will be able to reign you in should you get too hyperactive. Also make lots of friends, so many that you can't remember all their names, they'll help you when you need it most and you can count on your friends, your friends shall be your power. Also beware of Jiraiya, he'll try to turn you into a pervert." said Kushina conveying her final words and teachings to Naruto, words that will be useful to him later on.

"Naruto from now on. You're going to face a lot of pain and hardship as well as suffering." said Minato giving Naruto some of his own wisdom. "But always be true to yourself... Find a goal and have a dream... never stop chasing after that dream until you've achieved it. Train hard and never give up, endure no matter what. Keep your promises and follow through on them. Never lose sight of the good in people, no matter how far they fall and forgive those who have wronged you. Everyone has equal value to the birds flying in the sky to the mountains they sit upon. You'll never be perfect but that doesn't stop you from trying. Never seek power for personal gain but gain power to protect the ones you cherish. Don't be afraid and admit your fears, thats the first step in overcoming them. Never let fate or anyone else decide your life for you, the past doesn't dictate who you are, but it can shape who you will become. And when it comes to girls, Naruto... men can never understand them. Also Naruto above all else, remember your clan and their ideals. Believe in the Will of Fire and... I love you more than anything in the world, no treasure in this world is greater than you are to me, I have regrets in my life... but my greatest one, is that I'll never see you grow up to become the great man I know you will be, and if you get lost on the path, you will find an answer... because I believe in you. **Hakke Fūin**."

And in a bright light. The Kyūbi was gone and Minato and Kushina dropped to the ground and a seal formula was visible on Naruto's stomach. And said baby, began crying possibly sensing his father had passed and died, and he was crying over the loss of his father.

The barrier that barred the way between Tsunade and Hiruzen dropped and by that time other shinobi had joined them. When the barrier ceased Tsunade made no effort of stopping until she reached her baby. When she finally made it to her child, she nestled the baby close to her, almost as if it was going to leave her side and be ripped away from her. And like how her son was crying tears she was crying along with, but her tears were made of relief.

However, she was also enraged and sorrowful at the same time. Enraged at Minato making Naruto a Jinchūriki and making him into a basic weapon for the village, but she was sorrowful that Naruto had lost his father, on the day he was born no less.

"Yondaime-sama!" yelled a shinobi checking Minato, but given the words and his soulless body, it was of no use, Minato was gone, residing in the belly of the Shinigami.

"Kushina-sama, she's alive!" yelled another shinobi who was checking on Kushina. Hiruzen wasted no time in reaching her position.

"Sandaime-sama... it... it... U-Uchiha." said Kushina before she closed her eyes and dyed.

**I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I know that some of you didn't like the previous chapter and for that I'm sorry but I hope this chapter made up for it. So yeah, Minato and Kushina are dead, just like in canon and Naruto is the Jinchuriki. to be honest I was nearly crying when I wrote Minato's final words to Naruto, I'm just a big softy really. Now for those of you who thought I was bashing Kushina in the previous chapter, then sorry I wasn't, it was just for that chapter and I only killed her off in this chapter for the development of this story. so yeah Tobi is after Naruto, I don't think I need to tell you why, and like I said before, Naruto will have two kekki genkai, metal release and wood release. so yeah have fun with this chapter until I release the next one.**


	4. Coping

**Rebirth of the Two Sons**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Coping**

It was done, Nothing could be heard in the village, not the singing of the birds nor the rushing water and wind in the air. The leaves weren't dancing and the sun was shining less, black ash permeated the ground, staining it and causing it to become bitter, even now embers were still sparking around, and buildings were still crumbling to the ground, the ground was ruptured and destroyed, from great weight and powerful blows. The sky that was a myriad of colours from auburn to purple was now grey, mirroring the mood of the village, lifeless and defeated. People were scurrying about rescuing their loved ones from the debris and desolation. No natural phenomena could compare to what had happened in their village. For like a natural disaster, it came and then it was gone.

One of the few structures to remain, were some of the clan compounds such as the Akimichi and Senju compounds. The Hokage tower was still intact and standing, proudly and strong, never losing it's stature and never falling. The great mountain that shelved the faces of the Hokage of past and present, their steely gaze still looking over the village. The mountain was not a thing that would fall easily to an enemy, it was a sign that even now the leaders of the past were still watching over their people from their great perch while also their gaze was sending a warning to any of those who would trifle with Konoha.

But now, people were mourning for the ones that sacrificed everything to protect that which was important to them, they fought tooth and nail, every strength of will in their body and pushing themselves beyond the limits none that thought possible, no matter how great the enemy or their number, the Will of Fire was still shining brightly in the hearts of many, the Will of the village had not been snuffed out, nor will it be so long as the strength to endure and the resolution to never give in to despair, this what makes the people of Konoha shinobi so strong.

Atop the Hokage tower, the mood was somber, hearts had been stricken with pain and grief at the loss of their loved ones and guilt at having survived when their friends and their leader did not. The cost and sacrifice were great but it ensured the future lives of the village and it's well-being were still hard and strong, all of the heads of the shinobi clans were gathered. Uchiha, Kohaku, Sarutobi, Shimura, Akimichi, Aburame, Hyūga, Kurama, Hagoromo, Iburi, Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Nara, Fūma and Senju. They were all mourning, all coping with the losses for among the casualties their own clans were among them. However it was surprising to see the Senju clan head, Tsunade Senju among them, as they thought she would be preoccupied with caring for her son, Naruto Senju who was now forced to grow up fatherless, as it was his father, the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze who saved them all.

Orochimaru was also among the line up with his former teammate Jiraiya standing next to him who had forgone his horned forehead protecter. Jiraiya, when he heard that his home village had been attacked by the Kyūbi, he rushed back to see what had happened, only to learn that the man that was like a son to him had died, defending the village, leaving his only child with one parent who also was recovering from the Hokage's death. Jiraiya was worried for Tsunade's condition, as things would now be harder for her, to raise a child without the father, she would be able to care and provide for Naruto with little problem, it was the fact that she couldn't fill the void left behind by Minato, so Jiraiya while attending the funeral would try to be a father figure for Minato's son, for Tsunade's and his student's sake.

Kakashi Hatake, was also heartbroken at the loss of his teacher, the man that had been attempting to heal the wounds on the young mans heart by giving him new life, precious and innocent to protect. But just as his teammates had died, Kakashi was now truly alone, he wondered sadly what he could do, and he blamed himself for his teacher's death, who had someone important to protect and raise. Kakashi felt so useless, he could have made a difference, he could have possibly saved his sensei, if it wasn't for the orders of the Sandaime. And now just as his orders were to protect Tsunade when she was pregnant he would protect her and Naruto as part of his sensei's orders and wishes and to fulfil a promise to the late Hokage. It was the least he could do. No one could see the stray tear he had, fall down his face and staining his mask, Minato Namikaze, his closest father figure was gone, just as his own father was gone.

"Minato... Kushina... all Konoha shinobi. You both gave your lives... to protect the village and it future... your sacrifices will never be in vain." said the Sandaime who was also mourning the death of his beloved wife along with his two children Asuma and his younger son. Asuma, had clear tears rolling down his eyes at his mother's death and he was currently trying to console his younger brother who was also crying.

'Biwako' thought the Hiruzen sadly as a stray tear fell from his eye.

'Minato-sensei'

'You left too soon kid, your son needs you guidance' thought Jiraiya sadly.

Tsunade, from the crowd, walked out in front, carrying a bouquet of flowers. Her feelings were a mess, she could have finally had a family, she could have been happy with her son and his father... she loved Minato, not in a romantic way, but she loved him as the father of her child, he had given her a reason to live once again, and she wanted to live it with him, he came into her life and rebuilt her shattered self and pieced her together again. But it seems fate, had other whims and took Minato away before he could have seen his son grow up. She was also enraged at what Minato had done, turning their son into a sacrifice so to save the village. She knew that as Hokage he should put the safety of the village above his family, but still, it just had to be their son, but she also knew that Minato was honourable and kind, he could never have asked another family to give up their family for the village. She would never forgive him, and also she will miss him.

Now, their son had lost his chance at having a normal, quiet life as the council will probably force Naruto into the academy so to become a strong ninja and role model for the village. She knew that the life of a shinobi was a perilous one, not all shinobi were guaranteed a long life, they could lose everything they had with a snap of one's fingers, she had hoped that Naruto wouldn't live the life of a shinobi and just settle for a life of peace and simplicity. However she also found that outcome unlikely since their clan, the Senju clan, was that of shinobi. If anything the council will force Naruto to undergo the clan restoration act so to boost the numbers of Senju in the world, basically turning him into a breeding machine for the village.

But right now, she was focused on the here and the now, she couldn't let the future bother her at the moment, not since Naruto at the moment was defenceless and completely dependent on her for everything.

She placed the bouquet of flowers before the photo of Minato and she silently wept at the loss of her friend, her tears were quick and solemn and her form was shaking a little, whether life for her got easier or harder had yet to be seen. But now she was still mourning for the loss of her friend.

* * *

Hours later when the funeral was done and over with, Tsunade returned to the Senju compound, where Shizune was currently watching over Naruto, the black haired girl had volunteered to watched Naruto while Tsunade was busy attending the funeral.

When Tsunade, saw her sone sleeping in his crib, she went over and gently picked the baby up from his sleeping place. Shizune had commented that Naruto was a very quiet baby as he hardly ever made a sound and was naturally curious as he observed the big world around him and the people that were in it.

Tsunade wondered if he would have a sense of adventure in the future, like his father, and that curiosity might just get the better of him. And she could only hope that Naruto would stay quiet during the rest of his life, instead of being loud and wild. But she knew that might happen so she didn't hope too much for it.

When baby Naruto felt himself being lifted into the air, he opened his big blue eyes and saw his mother looking down at him, smily softly with a smile that only a mother could have, and it was infectious as Naruto also smiled along with his mother. He then saw some of his mother's cream coloured hair and was attempting to reach for it while his mother was pre-occupied with something else, he had successfully latched onto one of her ponytails and started gumming on it.

Tsunade meanwhile was reading a book on parenting that Biwako had given her. It was of course to be expected since this was the first time since Tsunade ever acted motherly, but she also wondered why there was a book on parenting, she could just go out and do it, besides she was doubtful that the book she was reading could tell her anything useful.

She then felt a slight pull on her hair and saw her son chewing on her hair with nonexistent teeth. One thing for sure, she would need to break Naruto's habit of sticking stuff into his mouth as he may accidentally swallow something, such as a marble or a coin, so she gently tugged her hair of her sons mouth which made him fuss a little but was soon distracted by something else.

As if on instinct, he took an interest in Tsunade's free hand and pressed his own against hers, noting how big it was compared to his. Tsunade could only smile at her golden-haired baby, it almost felt like a symbol of their bond. She hugged him close to her body and could only relish in the moment at her child finally being with her, although it did feel strange for him not growing in her belly anymore.

She could almost feel the mischief the little one would get into now and when he was older, he could tell that he was going to be a troublemaker with a kind heart in the future, a little silly and hyperactive though would become serious when it was needed. Loyal and loving at the same time, dutiful but also giving out his time to spend it with the ones he loved. She was already looking forward to it.

She then felt a presence of chakra and looked outside her window to see a silhouette standing behind the window, when she opened it, she saw Kakashi sitting outside reading a perverted book that Jiraiya just happened to write. If she wasn't holding Naruto she would possibly 'discipline' Kakashi and stop him from giving 'her' Naru-chan bad habits, and she would not allow her baby to become a pervert as his godfather is.

"Sandaime-sama has summoned you and the other clan heads to an important meeting, regarding the Hokage." said Kakashi as he kept reading his book before stuffing it into his pouch, that wasn't the only reason why he was there, he wanted to check up on Minato's son and see if the baby was alright. and Kakashi could honestly say that if Minato hadn't died, the silver-haired boy would be looking at the mans younger clone.

"Well, Kakashi, can you do something for me while I'm gone." asked Tsunade with a slight tricky grin as she already thought of a devilish idea.

"And that might be?" questioned Kakashi narrowing his visible eye, before Naruto was shoved into his arms by Tsunade and was clearly caught off-guard by the action.

"Take care of Naru-chan while I'm gone." said Tsunade before she walked away out of the Senju compound, leaving Kakashi with her baby, who was currently having a unwilling staring contest with the infant, he looked at the little baby, dumbstrucked at how he was staring at him, or his hair, or his mask, whichever one it was. But a smell penetrated Kakashi's nose and with his arms distanced himself between him and the Senju heir, knowing exactly what that horrible smell was.

"Lets get you changed, before you kill me." said Kakashi with a hint of sarcasm as he went into the house to change Naruto out of his dirty diaper.

* * *

High in the mountains of the Hokage monument, stood a temple, built by the clans of Konoha, the temple had stood there for many centuries and was refurbished and improved upon many times in the past and many times shall it be in the future. The temple had stood there ever since the reign of the Shodaime Hokage, it was a special meeting place that only a select few were allowed to enter, it was considered holy ground by nearly all who looked upon it. This was the meeting place of the clan heads. It was also a place where the well-being of Konoha and it's people during times of distress and emergency would be decided. The temple itself was a fortress, designed to keep people in and away from danger while also being able to defend themselves from attack.

This was the Tera no Byakko (Temple of the White Tiger). The temple was tall and grand for it housed the clan heads that would gather. The temple was so high in the mountains that remnants of snow and leaves would decorate it from past winters and autumns. Outside the entrance to the temple was a gong, shaped like a tiger's head that was used to call the council in the elder days, but it turned out it was more annoying than helpful so instead they used ANBU members used it to piss people off. There were stairs leading to the temple with four brownish-orange flags with the kanji for 'wisdom' on it and when you reached the stairs you would be greeted by two large statues of crouching white tigers that looked ready to attack, the statues were three times the size of a normal man and it gave the place a sense of foreboding. The temple itself had the architecture of a japanese-style temple but instead of wood it was made of metal, so to better protect the clan heads. The temple had three roofs which grew smaller in size the higher up you would see, underneath the roofs were golden ceremonial pipes and the tiles were deep blue with some gold in there.

Inside the temple, it was nothing like the outside, it was large but welcoming. There were draping white cloth with golden embroidery on it. Colourful lanterns decorated the the room shining brightly over the darkness and the smell of incense was in the air, easing the souls in the room. But although not as grand as it is outside, the temple is soothing on the inside, and sitting at a table was Hiruzen Sarutobi and his three advisors who were waiting to begin the meeting.

Gathered before Hiruzen were respective heads of the shinobi clans of Konoha, some old and some new. It was rare that the clan heads were ever gathered together as most of the time they would squabble amongst themselves and argue over pointless things such as who's clan was strongest, or who's clan was the most honourable, or who's clan was the most was the wealthiest. It all came down to things that were petty and insignificant, things that didn't matter in the long run so long as the clans contributed to the well-being and strength of the village. The only clan that would not involve itself in the bickering were the Nara clan who were too lazy to involve themselves and most of the time the other clans would forget that the Aburame clan was even there.

Hiruzen could see all the faces of the clan heads, but instead of arguing their pitch was silent and focused, something which was never seen before. Most likely because of the situation and the urgency in the matters.

Hiruzen could see all the heads sitting before him.

There was Gotta Iburi, head of the Iburi clan, one of the newest clans in the village. Gotta was a tall and well-built man with light skin and short slightly spiky grey hair with a small two-part moustache. He was simply wearing the Konoha uniform and the flak jacket with a intricate sealing tag which Minato and Tsunade had created to stabilise their kekki genkai.

Jueki Kohaku, the head of the Kohaku clan. Jueki was a tall, light skinned man, muscular man with sharp features, he had silver hair which was mussed up and spiky, giving him a punk-like look and brown eyes. He wore the Konoha flak jacket but refused to wear the uniform, instead choosing to wear black hakama pants, a bronze metallic belt and black fingerless gloves that reached his forearms.

Hane Hagoromo, the head of the Hagoromo clan. Hane was a dark-skinned man with purple hair tied into braids that hung about his head, he had no colour in his eyes other than milky white as he was blind, but this made him a deadly foe with his enhanced sensory abilities and hearing. He wore a band-like visor over his eyes, an orange scarf around his neck long black gloves that reached his forearms and around rope around around his shoulders and neck and he wore the uniform of the village along with a flak jacket.

Oni Fūma, head of the Fūma. Oni was a short, petite woman with light skin, grey eyes and black hair with two long braids wrapped in cloth around the back of her head with two golden rings ending in the braids, she wore long black arm bands, a yellow obi tied around her waist and wore the uniform of Konoha along with a flak jacket.

Hiashi Hyūga, head of the Hyūga clan. Hiashi had long black hair that reached his mid back with a slight brown tint to it and featureless white eyes with a tint of lavender in them like all members of his clan, instead of wearing the uniform of Konoha, he had foregone that appearance and opted for his usual attire which was a very traditional, loose fitting robe with a long sleeved brown haori.

Shikaku Nara, head of the Nara clan. Shikaku was a tall light skinned man with two scars upon the right side of his face which were his most notable features. He had dark hair that was tied into a spiky ponytail, dark eyes along with a goatee. He wore a mesh shirt underneath his flak jacket and a deer skin coat over that along with hand guards.

Chōza Akimich, head of the Akimichi clan. Chōza was a large man which was predictable of an Akimichi member. He had long red, spiky hair, thin purple markings on his cheeks and squinted eyes. He wore armour similar to that of a samurai which entailed a black suit completed with armour that had the kanji for 'food' on it, he wore a purple rope belt, hand guards and instead of a hitai-ate he wore a Hachimaki tied around his head.

Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka clan. Inoichi like most other members of his clan, had blonde hair tied into a long ponytail that reached his back and his hair was spiky on top, he had blue green eyes and strong facial features with a defined jawline. He wore the standard flak jacket over a black outfit with hand guards and a sleeveless haori with his hitai-ate sitting upon his forehead.

Shibi Aburame, head of the Aburame clan. Shibi like all of his clan members had his eyes obscured by dark glasses which featured a tassel hanging down on one-side, he had short spiky black hair and a moustache. He wore a high collared outfit, while carrying a gourd on his back which held the parasitic insects of his clan. And even now he still had his hands in his pockets.

Tsume Inuzuka, head of the Inuzuka clan. Tsume like most of her clan had an animalistic look to her. She had long brown, spiky, untamed hair and vertically slit pupils with elongated canines resembling a dogs and like all of her clan she had the distinctive red fang tattoos on her cheeks as well as red markings around her eyes and a shade of purple lipstick. She wore the standard attire of Konoha and a flak jacket.

Murakumo Kurama, head of the Kurama clan. Murakumo had long black hair which reached his shoulders and a moustache with grey eyes and tear troughs under his eyes with a defined jawline. He wore a traditional kimono of varying colours, mainly purple and yellow, giving him a regal look like Hiashi he chose not to wear the uniform of Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was representing his own clan, the Sarutobi clan. While his childhood friend and advisor Danzō Shimura was representing his own clan the Shimura clan.

Then finally were the two founding clans of the Leaf Village, The Uchiha and the Senju clans.

Fugaku Uchiha and Tsunade Senju.

Fugaku had the typical look of the Uchiha. Dark hair, light skinned with onyx eyes and he had visible creases under his eyes, he wore the uniform of the military police along with a Konoha flak jacket and a black open-front apron with white diamonds on it and shin-guards.

While Tsunade was dressed in her usual attire.

Both clan heads were currently seated in-front of all the others, of course being the heads of the founding clans it of course came with privileges.

"We have repelled the Kyūbi no Yōko, although the sacrifices were much too great." said Homura, starting the meeting with all the clan heads listening intently.

"This is no time to lament. The Hokage seat is currently empty. We have to decide on someone quickly to fill the void Minato left behind." said Koharu.

"We have to decide on a new Hokage soon or our enemies may use our distress as a chance to attack." spoke Hane Hagoromo.

"One thats, strong, young, someone that can maybe inspire fear." suggested Oni as she believed someone like that should be Hokage.

"But we need someone who is skilled and competent, and knows how to lead a village." spoke Shibi to which the council only nodded.

"But we also need to worry about outside forces such as the other villages even the minor ones." spoke Hiashi, reminding everyone why they need a new Hokage.

"This will be a good chance for the other nations to mobilise their forces and attack Konoha." replied Inoichi.

"Then we will crush them, as we did last time." said Fugaku, unafraid of any impending forces.

"Don't forget Fugaku, we were on the run from Iwa, if it wasn't for Minato we would have surely lost the war, not that he's gone we might not be able to defend ourselves properly from any impending attack." said Shikaku using his strategic mind to 'remind' Fugaku and his battle loving clan.

"Although, they don't know our current military strength, and because of our alliance with Suna, it will give them pause to think." said Tsume, at the moment being level-headed and not while as she usually is.

"That still doesn't solve the problem, we need a Hokage and we need one now." said Chōza, who was intent on Konoha needing a new Hokage so to defend itself properly.

"Do we even need a Hokage at the moment?" said Jueki crossing his arms. "We should focus on rebuilding the village and our military strength."

"Rebuilding the village won't stop the other nations from attacking. They may see that as a sign that Konoha is desperate and wishes to rebuild it's defences ready for any attack." spoke Murakumo having everyone agree with him.

"We don't just need to rebuild our walls, but also our economic strength also, without trade the village will fall even without an army defending it." said Gotta making everyone nod at him.

"But we still need a Hokage." said Tsunade, making everyone in the room go silent. That was paramount above everything else. There were very few candidates for Hokage at the moment.

"Although we have nurtured many fine Jōnin, they are still inexperienced and lack wisdom on how to rule over a village." said Koharu. And she knew that there were very few deserving of the seat of Hokage. There was Jiraiya, someone who was considered the position for Yondaime before Minato, Orochimaru, another candidates though was overlooked in favour of Minato, Tsunade will make an excellent Hokage, she knew the ways of the village and her family ties and being a student of the Sandaime cemented her position and former lover of Minato, cemented her position, then there was Shikaku Nara, a man of brilliant strategy, he knew exactly what he was doing when it came to running the villlage, those four individuals would be best to be the Hokage.

"Well there is som-." said Danzō who was going to suggest one of his own puppets to be Hokage or himself, as it has always been, the old badger always wanted the Hokage seat, and whenever a new Hokage would be suggested, he was always the first to jump at the chance. However he was interrupted when Hiruzen got out of his seat.

"It cannot be helped... this is a critical time... I shall take over once again." said Hiruzen surprising everyone in the room at his willingness to return to being Hokage.

"You will do that Hiruzen." said Homura who looked pleased at the prospect.

"If you are willing... it would solve most of our problems." said Koharu but she was silenced from speaking further by Danzō who showed his doubt in the abilities of his childhood friend.

"You stepped down once before... are you sure you're up to the task." said Danzō with an annoying smirk on his face. "Truth be told, even though you went after the Kyūbi, you still failed to save Yondaime-sama." Danzō's words caused all eyes in the (except Hane's) to narrow in insult and offence, especially Tsunade since she was boring holes in to the old mans head.

"That remark is uncalled for." grunted Homura as he also felt insulted that his friend was affronted.

"And where were you at that time? Danzō... as I remember not seeing you on the battlefield, or were you too busy hiding under rocks." taunted Koharu which made Danzō grit his teeth at the jab, to be honest he was hoping the Hiruzen and Minato would both die that night so he could become Hokage or Orochimaru would become Hokage. But all the while Hiruzen was laughing at what was happening around him.

"Just indulge this old man. Let me fill in as Hokage until the next one can be groomed." said Hiruzen with a smile and a happy attitude. Besides he already had someone in mind to become Hokage. Danzō meawhile narrowed his visible eye in anger and contempt at his old rival.

"If that is all, I believe that this meeting is adjourned." said Homura as everyone in the room was dismissed.

"Tsunade, can I please speak to you in private." said Hiruzen before Tsunade had the chance to leave the temple. While the elders and the clan heads were walking down the steps away from the temple, Hiruzen and Tsunade walked over to one of the tiger statues guarding the palace.

Tsunade was a little confused at what her former teacher wanted. Everything was solved, the village would have it's Hokage and things may return to normal, she knew that whatever Sarutobi wanted it meant that it involved her in some way, but she didn't want to be away from her son any longer, he was probably crying his eyes out wishing she was there, or it was just her motherly instinct.

"Tsunade, as I said, I will remain Hokage until we can groom the next one, I already have someone in mind who can make an excellent Hokage should the time come." said Sarutobi. "Just as your grandfather and grand-uncle wished for me to be Hokage, I wish for Naruto to be the next Hokage after me." Now that sentence nearly made Tsunade's eyes bulge out of her head, her son the next Hokage.

"But, Naru-chan is barely a week old, and you wish him to be the next candidate to be Hokage, he's just a baby, he's not even a shinobi yet, he can't even walk or crawl." Nearly shouted Tsunade. Her son was only a few days old and Sarutobi already had plans for him.

"You misunderstand, Naruto is the ideal candidate for Hokage, he is related to most of the Hokage, the Shodaime and the Yonadime respectively, his potential is massive and and he has the capacity to be just and wise. When the times is right, I will advise Naruto in the ways of the Hokage, not now, not before he becomes a shinobi but when he graduates. Danzō will probably advocate himself or one of his drones to be Hokage, and Konoha in the hands of Danzō will be disastrous, he's a warhawk, although his ideals and motives are just, his methods are questionable and will most likely lead to war if he had his way." spoke Sarutobi making Tsunade understand his reasoning. "And also Danzō lacks the ability to induce loyalty and devotion, that was why I was chosen to be the Hokage. The Hokage is someone the people can rally behind his shadow and allow others to fight for him when he can not and when he doesn't ask, Danzō can only make people fight if he ordered them. His archaic ways he may view as just, but will ultimately lead to disaster. He causes more problems than he solves."

"Thats why you want Naruto." said Tsunade now understanding Sarutobi's reasoning.

"Naruto is someone who may be able to inspire loyalty, his family ties to the Shodaime and Yondaime has already instilled loyal followers, with conditioning Naruto can become the ideal Hokage, one that the village needs and loves. And Danzō is aware that the Senju name carries more weight than Shimura." spoke the Sandaime looking over the village from the temple's height. "But still, I wanted to ask you this before I want through with my plans."

Tsunade sighed at her former teacher, he was right about Danzō and Naruto, If Danzō ever became Hokage, her grandfathers legacy would fall to the ground and be burned to ashes. Danzō would cause a war and say it was in the best interest of Konoha, it was his way or the highway, he felt that his opinion was the law of a god, and he would go to any length to ensure that his way of ruling the village was paramount. She was also aware that Danzō openly despised her and Naruto, he hated Naruto more than her. Being the great-grandson of the Shodaime, great-grandnephew of the Nidaime and son of the Yondaime he openly despised Naruto and what he stood for. You could say Naruto was the literal embodiment of the Will of Fire, the ideal that Danzō disagreed with.

She also was aware how valuable Naruto was to Danzō's schemes, she knew he was planning something but she had no proof of it, Danzō never left any trace of himself. But still Naruto would be an asset to the future of Konoha, and the revival of the Senju clan.

"Fine, though, Naruto will only become Hokage if he chooses to be, thats my only request." spoke Tsunade to which Sarutobi nodded and the Senju head went back to her compound so to see her son again. This was all to wild for her, Naruto couldn't even walk let alone crawl and Sarutobi already wanted him to be Hokage.

* * *

When she made it back to her compound she found a tired Kakashi trying to calm down baby Naruto who had been crying for the last fifteen minutes, he had explained how the happiest baby in the world had drastically changed and started crying uncontrollably and no matter what Kakashi did Naruto insisted on crying and wailing, but as soon as he saw his mother his sobs and cries softened and he started reaching for her pleadingly to which she happily spent the rest of the day playing with her son. While Kakashi went back to his home in a mess, Naruto was just a bundle of energy and already three days old he was able to put Kakashi through his paces.

* * *

After that meeting Hiruzen made a special announcement in the village regarding Minato's last wish. Hiruzen had also informed Tsunade that he will tell the village just what had happened to the Kyūbi, the old man had told the village that the fox had been sealed into a baby the night of the attack. And Hiruzen would reveal who the child was if the response just happened to the be positive. But he knew that old hatreds would not be easily set aside. When the people heard that the monster that killed their families and nearly destroyed their village was still alive and well inside a host body, they began shouting for the child's death, saying that the fox would influence the baby or would break free from the seal that was holding it. Hiruzen at that point became enraged at what his villagers were saying. He proclaimed that they disrespected the Yondaime and everything he stood for, they had such little faith in their leader's abilities that it was disgusting, the way they were shouting disgraced Minato's sacrifice.

When Tsunade had heard, she tried to hold herself back from slaughtering all the villager's at their stupidity and hatred, but she was able to reign herself in with some help from Shizune and Jiraiya.

Hiruzen from that point, withheld the information of the Kyūbi jinchūriki's identity. And he also explained that because of the urgency of the situation the Yondaime had chosen a random child, to which the people of the village and the shinobi believed. And a law was made specifically for the Naruto, that anybody who even whispered the Kyūbi would be punished severely, so to allow Naruto to live a normal life and to make friends with children his own age where they wouldn't shun and hate him for something that was out of his control. The law about the Kyūbi and it's vessels identity would remain secret and forgotten.

* * *

So now Hiruzen and his three advisors Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane and Danzō Shimura were in their private meeting room, they usually were there to discuss the village that wasn't involved in a crisis. The meeting of the clan heads went well enough, but still, what they were about to discuss was only meant for ears that were behind closed doors, they couldn't tell the clan heads of what had transpired and the warning they received.

"Are you sure what you heard was accurate Hiruzen?" questioned Homura as he remained a little skeptical at what he just heard.

"It was her dying breath... Uchiha." said Hiruzen as he remembered Kushina dying before him choking on her own blood and gasping out the name.

"What occurred was no simple natural disaster, and even though the seal was weakened, it couldn't have been weak enough for the Kyūbi to break free and run amok, and if it was set free, why would it attack Konoha? It's almost as if it wanted to be sealed again, Bijū are not as mindless as most believe." spoke Koharu stating obvious facts and clues to which her fellows nodded at her.

"I don't have to say it out loud as to who broke the seal and attacked the village, do I?" spoke Danzū with an attitude laced in his voice that spoke volumes of whom he was referring to.

"We don't have a lot of information." spoke Hiruzen trying to resolve things peacefully and not allow suspicions to rise.

"We have all the information and this needs to be said, with the Shodaime Hokage, Hashirama Senju and Kushina Uzumaki dead, there are now only few individuals who are capable of such a thing, they were behind this, or they have have known about it in someway, and where were they when the village was being attacked. All these nuances must all point to a single group." spoke Danzō to which Hiruzen narrowed hi eyes at the bandaged man.

"It also explains as to how Biwako and the ANBU died, their bodies were mainly intact and their fatal wounds could have only been done by a kunai." spoke Koharu as she oversaw the death count of the village and it's inhabitants and what she saw shocked her to the core at the masses of dead piling up on her desk.

"But, to be able to control a beast as mighty as the Kyūbi, only few individuals are capable of such a thing. Individuals we thought were long dead." spoke Homura citing fears in the hearts of those around him, and all Hiruzen could think of were those piercing, battle hungering eyes, that made blood run cold and freeze in the veins of those who looked upon them.

"With the Sharingan, they could control the Kyūbi, maybe as to why, to regain the power they have lost in Konoha, maybe they're fearful of the new Senju heir and what threat he may pose to them in the future." spoke Danzō who was actually thinking with his brain and not his fear.

"This is all just conjecture, why would they attack their own home to regain power? and they have made peace with the Senju many years ago as if they would need the Kyūbi to kill a defenceless baby who poses no threat to them at the moment nor in the future, it's ludicrous to fear a child, especially a baby." said Sarutobi trying to be the voice of reason amongst the dissent.

"Nevertheless, we must increase surveillance on the Uchiha. Keep them under 24-hour watch." spoke Danzō to which Homura and Koharu agreed with him as the situation was volatile and unstable.

"But that is bound to incite them unnecessarily. The Uchiha have been friends of the village since the reign of the Shodaime. Like any cornered animal they will defend themselves and both the village and the Uchiha will suffer." continued Hiruzen but the other elders would not heed his wisdom.

"We will have the ANBU do it, clandestinely." replied Danzō which made Hiruzen narrow his eyes at his childhood friend.

"We should at least prepare for the worst possible scenario." spoke Homura to which Koharu nodded her head in agreement.

"Wait, even if we do trust Kushina's words, we still don't know if it was the entire clan acting out the attack or a single man, we would be fastening the Uchiha's blame and soon the rest of the villager's shall feel the same, shunning the Uchiha." said Hiruzen trying to calm down the building up angst against one of their most trusted clans.

"That is precisely why this is imperative, and if nothing comes out of it, it shall be to the Uchiha's benefit." said Danzō with Homura and Koharu agreeing with him once again. Hiruzen frowned at his former teammates and friends, they wouldn't be doing this to the Senju clan if all of them were still alive, their undying loyalty to the Nidaime was extensive, but this felt like a betrayal, watching over the Uchiha as if they were a time bomb.

"We still have other matters to attend to, not just regarding the Uchiha, it was best that we discuss it here and not allow the other clan heads to hear otherwise." said Danzō making Hiruzen widen his eyes at him, to just what he was referring to.

"The Kyūbi Jinchūriki, Naruto Senju." stated Danzō. Instead of his eyes widening in surprise Hiruzen merely narrowed them could already guess what Danzō was after, he was the kind of person who would do such a thing to families. "I believe that it's best, that the Senju heir be handed over to my custody, for conditioning and to control the Bijū residing within his hide. I can make him into a strong weapon for Konoha, to be used against our enemies."

What Danzō was saying Made Hiruzen jump out of his seat and to create an imposing shadow in the room while also leaking out some of his chakra making the building shake.

"You're asking me to rip a child, barely a week old, away from his mother, to be turned into a weapon, a tool for the village, a mindless puppet to be used and discarded when he's lost his use. Never!" yelled Hiruzen, Tsunade was the closest thing he had to a daughter, so it was natural for him to believe that Naruto was a grandson to him, his family. He also knew of the heartbreak it would bring to the Senju leader who would most liekly drink herself to death from losing her only child, it was like beating a wounded animal, no it was worse than that, it was like dying on the inside but never truly losing life.

"That is exactly what I'm asking, that child will be a valuable asset to Konoha and I can ensure that he will bare strong heirs and children when he is old enough, allow me to control the Senju clan to be the sword of Konoha." pleaded Danzō, intent on having the Kyūbi under his thumb.

"Never again shall we have this conversation Danzō, I can easily charge you for treason for thinking of such a thing, as a clan trying to usurp another in a bid to gain power, as you are the head of the Shimura clan, and I'm sure you've read up on Konoha's laws by now." said Hiruzen as he left the room but not before shortly stopping before the door. "Come any where near Naruto don't even be in the same presence, it won't matter who you are, I'll end you and it shall be swift." spoke Hiruzen releasing some of his killing intent making Danzō sweat a little. Homura and Koharu also left the room.

A few minutes passed and Danzō saw one of his drones appear in the corner of his eye.

"Danzō-sama, what shall be do about the Jinchūriki?"

"Nothing for now, with Hiruzen and Tsunade watching over the boy, it will be far too dangerous to approach him, right now we have to be patient, and wait for our chance. Soon." said Danzō carefully.

* * *

six months had passed since Naruto was born and things were quiet in the Senju compound. Shizune was right about Naruto being quiet, for a time before he became a lively little baby. When the Senju leader would walk through the village, Naruto's smile was incredibly infectious and his cuteness would have anybody wrapped around his little finger. He had met development milestones as he could already sit up and crawl around. And when he started crawling it was difficult to make him stop as his little, pudgy body was always on the run.

However ,Tsunade couldn't leave the village, with Danzō revealing to the world that she fell pregnant in the first place, all the village's were on high alert and if Tsunade was to leave with Naruto she wouldn't have a village backing her so more or less, the other villages would throw everything they had at her to get to Naruto.

There were times where Tsunade would bring him to the hospital where she would work and he had his own little cot with some toys where he wouldn't get bored. She had to bring him either to show him off to her subordinates or because no one could look after him and it broke her heart whenever she would leave him in the care of Sarutobi and Shizune as it sometimes felt like she was abandoning him, so she took him wherever she went.

He was also naturally curious and hardly ever cried, only when he was separated from her, didn't get enough attention or when he was hungry was the times when he would cry. Other than that he would play with his fingers and toes discovering how the little appendages would work. Like before he had a knack of putting things into his mouth such as toys, only few times did she save him from swallowing items such as her house keys, coins and other things. He was also determined as whenever he wanted something he wouldn't stop until he got it causing him to climb over furniture and other places and Tsunade would save him from falling just in time before he hurt himself, but every time he would come out of it giggling.

All in all Naruto was just a happy little baby who just happened to be a mommy's boy as he cried whenever his mother left him alone with Shizune.

But there was something strange about her son, his chakra, it was extremely familiar to another Senju she knew, the chakra signature was different but it's nature was near identical, it seemed as if whenever she was around her son the sun shined brighter and the leaves were greener and he radiated this warm and calming aura around him. She couldn't explain it, it was almost as if she was standing next to the sun itself, bright warm and full of life. She had only experienced this feeling few times in her life. More specifically she only felt like this when she was around her grandfather, Hashirama Senju. He too had this warm and calming around him that made anybodies day happier. She just couldn't explain it.

And she was exasperated because whenever she looked at Naruto she could see Minato's face in his. Her son was basically a clone of Minato, same blue eyes and golden hair. People would comment that she didn't leave much of herself in her son, she only hoped that he had a little piece of her in him. Maybe in the future he would show some of her side.

She remembered that Minato had written a will and that all his earthly possessions will be handed to Naruto when he was sixteen years old. She wondered what her son would be like when he came to that age, she could only hope that Minato's prediction of Nartuo being popular with the girls was false, as she hates fangirls with a burning vengeance and she didn't want woman practically throwing themselves at her 'little boy'.

That was another thing, she was extremely over-protective of her son to a zealous level when it became comical. That was something that could never change.

Also this was the day Jiraiya would be babysitting Naruto while she was off on important business at the hospital. She had made it very clear to Jiraiya that if he even tried to turn Naruto into a pervert she would cut off his manhood, sow it back on, and cut it off again, record it on video and make him watch it. He easily cowered under he threatening glare and became a sobbing mess after all the killing intent she released onto the white pervert.

She heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Jiraiya waiting behind it with a goofy grin on his face and writing down notes on one of his notepads, it didn't take long for Tsunade to figure out that Jiraiya had been doing his 'research' (cough 'peeping cough). She gained a tickmark at her best friend for he hadn't changed since he was a child and her teacher was the same, he was just as much of a pervert like Jiraiya but he had more tact and hid it carefully. Like that time the two of them went peeping using Jiraiya's newest technique that made him invisible.

She ushered Jiraiya in and showed him to Naruto's room where the baby boy was currently playing with a white dragon plushy toy that Jiraiya gave to him even before he was born.

"Well, take good care of him, make sure he has his lunch and be in bed before I get home." said Tsunade as she threw on her green coat and left the compound with Jiraiya nodding at her.

"Don't worry he'll be fine." responded Jiraiya which didn't ease any of Tsunade's nerves.

* * *

Hours later, Naruto and Jiraiya were in the living room, the whiskered baby was currently playing with some of his toys while Jiraiya was scribbling away on his notepad thinking up ideas for his next smutty book.

Naruto meanwhile was playing with his toys before he saw something land on an open window in the living room, it was random pigeon on the windowsill. Immediately enthralled by the strange creature before his eyes, Naruto started crawling toward it where he scaled a large chair, a table and a book shelf to get to the window.

By the time he made it the little baby was just having his first adventure. He was curious at to the whole world around him as he rarely got a good look of it when he was being carried around by his mother. So he crawled through the window and began his adventure.

Jiraiya who had been oblivious to the baby escaping him and going off by himself was still writing away on his notepad. Only did he spare a passing glance to where Naruto was only a few minutes did he realise that he was gone. No he was seriously gone.

Jiraiya's eyes bulged out of his head and he almost pissed himself in fear, he had to find Naruto, if he did Tsunade was literally going to murder him. He'd be six ft in the ground and on his tombstone it will say 'killed by Tsunade' in big bold words on it.

He rushed around the entire Senju compound looking for his god-son but it almost seemed like if he grew wings and flew away.

He raced out of the house looking for the blonde baby, but he found no sign of him.

'Oh god, if Tsunade finds out I actually lost her son she'll do the worst sort of things to me, she'll cut off my dick, replace it with a sausage, cut me up into pieces and ship me off to Kumo as sushi.' thought Jiraiya not exagerating over what he was thinking, as Tsunade would do that to him.

So for the next few hours he raced around the village to find his godson, he checked the hotsprings, where he spent a good hour peeping on the woman, saying that it will be the best thing to happen to him before he died. He checked Ichiraku ramen, where he got a bowl and went off again, he avoided the library as Naruto would probably think that books were boring, forgetting that Naruto couldn't read.

He then went to the Hokage tower, and told Sarutobi what happened before the Sandaime left and never returned saying that he would not suffer Tsunade's wrath because he was involved in Jiraiya's mistake. Jiraiya was fearful, he tried not to hope for the worst knwoing that it would most likely happen, but he was a dead man walking if he didn't find Naruto ASAP, and if Tsunade found him first. Then it would bring nothing but doom upon him.

Meanwhile baby Naruto was currently enjoying his little stroll through the Hidden Leaf village. He took in the sights around him and was amazed at their immense size and scope. He was babbling all the way and nobody had even noticed he was there, possibly foreshadowing his skill as an infiltrator he who could blend in ti any surrounding. He was walking on the roads and paths of Konoha wearing green pants and a small white shirt with his clans symbol on it.

If anyone had noticed the Senju heir galavanting around the village at his own leisure they probably would be doubting Tsunade's parenting skills. Or was it Jiraiya's parenting skills.

Little Naruto was enthralled by his surroundings that the baby didn't notice the leg he bumped into that belonged to the one and only Mikoto Uchiha, matriarch of the Uchiha clan. When the black haired woman looked to see what had bumped into her, she saw a baby desperately trying not to cry from bumping into her. Trying but failing did the baby start crying out into the middle of the street, Motherly nature coming over her, Mikoto picked up the blonde bundle and held him tightly against her chest and made soothing sounds so to calm down the baby. Her own baby was at her compound where his brother was currently looking after him.

"Don't worry little one, I'll help you find your mother." said Mikoto as she started bouncing Naruto a little where he was reduced to sobs and stopped crying, Mikoto then spotted the Senju clan symbol on Naruto's shirt and she knew immediately who his mother was. "Lets take you to your mother." ad off she went to the Konoha hospital where Naruto's mother was.

Jiraiya had spent a hours upon hours of trying to find Naruto, it was like trying to find water in a desert it was near impossible for him.

So now there he was, dragging himself through the streets of Konoha, he was heading straight for the hospital to tell Tsunade he had lost her son. And where he could be treated for substantial injuries for the beating his former teammate would give him.

When he arrived he made his way through the halls, with a cloud of despair over his head. He finally made it to Tsunade's office and cried anime tears for the loss of either his manhood or his life, he preferred to actually lose his rather than lose his manhood.

When he opened the door, his jaw dropped to the ground and his eyes were wide and bulging and he saw that which would spark terror and anguish. Tsunade bouncing Naruto upon her lap while he giggled away as if nothing could bother him, sitting next to her was Mikoto Uchiha who was being treated the view at the ever happy baby. Once Mikoto reunited Naruto and Tsuande, the blonde little boy couldn't stay still and everyone had their attention on him.

Jiraiya being the smart man as he is, tried to sneakily walk, he had to escape the creature known as Tsunade before he found himself in a box and was shipped off to Kiri.

"Going somewhere, Jiraiya." said Tsunade making the white haired sannin go pale and his teeth to chatter.

"Hime, I was just coming to visit and tell you that I haven't been peeping and also I'll just be on my way." said Jiraiya coming up with the best excuse to escape although he was lying about the peeping part.

"Really, well Mikoto was just telling me how she found Naru-chan wondering around the village... alone." said Tsunade and raging flames sparked over her form while she kept her smile sweet and sincere and her eyes loving and caring. But Jiraiya had seen that face far too many times and abrely lived from it's aftermath.

"Hime, you have to understand-." reasoned Jiraiya with a goofy grin before making a bee-line away from the hospital, however he tripped over himself and felt a vice like grip against his leg ad was pulled back to the office while his fingernails scraped against the floor, trying desperately to not suffer his 'punishment'.

Later in a special room that was reserved only for a Jiraiya, Sarutobi visited and beheld a fleshy lump on the hospital bed that was moaning and crying in agony, the thing basically looked like a human puddle. But since the room was reserved specifically for Jiraiya it didn't take Sarutobi any second to know who was moaning. Basically it was just another day in the village.

* * *

It was around a month later after Naruto's little 'adventure' that things had calmed down for the Senju family. Everything was peaceful and nothing was wrong at all.

Naruto was peacefully sleeping in his cot, in his room after he was moved away from his mother's room. Life was all that simple for the baby blonde, at the moment he treated the world around him as a huge playground where things were his toys and people were all his family. This mindset would not stick with the baby when he grew into a man. He needed to understand the ways of the world if he ever wanted to grow up.

But for the moment the child was content with the world as it is for the moment, he was happy, with his mother, Shizune, Jiraiya. And things would stay that way for a while longer.

But there was something bothering the infant, he started fussing and turning over in his blankets, some tears were prickling at the corners of his eyes and his face was scrunched up. Something was obviously bothering, but what remained a mystery. He started frantically moving his arms and legs as if trying to escape the awful feeling he was experiencing.

He then bursted into tears and screaming so that every one could hear him. However no matter how hard he cried no one was able to hear him, his face was turning red and his wails could possibly wake the dead. Upon his stomach the seal that kept the giant fox at bay lit up and became bright red where it was visible through the baby's clothing and it was pulsing red at regular intervals.

Then the seal opened and became you could see a black-purple void. Then something spectral started appearing and it quickly took the form of a giant fox which exploded from the seal destroying all that was around it, and became a physical creature with nine whipping, bushy tails flattening everything within it's path, the village was unprepared by the attack and was quickly destroyed.

Tsunade jolted from her sleep with a cold sweat running down her forehead. She could hear nothing, no sign or whimper of life. She felt cold, cold like the riming winds of winter freezing and biting the world of all it's warmth.

This feeling of dread washed over her like a wave, she never felt this way before. It was like someone stabbed her in the heart and continued to stab it. The feeling was similar to losing everything at once, she hated this feeling, but still the worries remained.

She jumped out of her bed and ran to her infant son's room, she hoped beyond everything that what she experienced was just an illusion, that it wasn't real, it couldn't be real. She couldn't lose the person she loved most.

When she made it to her son's room filled with baby toys a small rocking chair, little dragons and rabbits decorating the walls which were a blue in colour. And there he was, sleeping without a worry, his little chest rising ever so softly, taking the tiniest of breaths.

Tsunade felt like she had just died of relief at that moment, it was just a dream, none of it happened, it could never happen. She quietly approached her sleeping baby and hefted from his sleeping crib and she oculd only stare at that near perfect face. This being in her arms was one she helped create. She then brought the baby's face close to her face and cried away her fears, the fox hadn't escaped, it was all a dream. She could only fall to her knees and cry, silently thanking that her son was still here with her, and it was just a dream.

She could feel nothing but overwhelming anger at Minato for making their son into a Jinchūriki, forcing the burden on his only blood relative, the person he loved just as much as she did. He was only a baby, could he be able to handle such frightening power, she knew that Minato sealed the Kyūbi into Naruto for a reason, he never did anything without a solid purpose. Although she was enraged at the Yondaime, she couldn't hate him, she could never hate anyone really, she never hated the other village's for taking her loved ones and her clan away, she could never hate those who threatened her village. It wasn't in her nature to hate.

As if sensing his mother's distress Naruto opened his eyes and watched the salty liquid roll down his mother's cheeks. With his small arms he reached over and tried to wipe them away, although he squirming caught the attention of the Senju leader, who looked down at the little one in her arms. She smiled but her tears continued falling.

"It's ok little one, mommy just had a bad dream." said Tsunade although her baby looked anything but convinced. He stared at her for a few more minutes before fading back into a dreamful sleep. And his mother continued holding him for most of the night.

* * *

Three months had passed since Tsunade's nightmare and she had a few very similar to it. However the nightmares had mostly ceased and she was back to her normal self and Naruto was happier now, it was almost his first birthday and Tsunade was preparing a party for her toddler. This was going to be one of the rare few times that Naruto would be interacting with anyone his age. It just happened to be that most of the clan heirs were born around the same time as Naruto, in the same year.

All of the major clan heirs would be coming, even the Hyūga and Uchiha clans who invited themselves. She invited them because she wanted Naruto to start forging bonds, because her motherly intuition told her that many children his age would be intimidated by him, being the son of Tsunade Senju, head of the Senju clan and Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage. The heir of the Senju clan, just for being the heir, would grow up living without friends because of his status.

Thats why Tsunade wanted the toddler to develop friendships with those who have similar situations. Such as the other heirs to the clans of Konoha. She had also made a decision early on that, because of Naruto's status within the village and the great political power he will hold in the future, many clans, noble and wealthy families would arrange marriages, so to increase their own status and power in the village using the Senju's power as a booster rocket. Although, if the council and the other clan heads tried to force, the CRA (Clan Restoration Act) she would fight back with as much temperament. She wanted Naruto to marry and love someone he chose, not others who were chosen for him.

Regarding the CRA, it was an act developed by her grand-uncle, the Nidaime Hokage, given that during the era of warring states, some clans went extinct or were near extinction they would have to repopulate and boost the number of their clan, when some of the clans such as the Yamanaka clan joined the village they were subjugated to the clan restoration act where the select few males would be able to marry and reproduce with multiple women so to bring in more numbers for their clan.

Since, Naruto was called 'The Last Senju' by many of the villagers he could be forced to undergo the Clan Restoration Act, it was easier since he was male, as the act didn't concern itself with females who could of course, only bare children during monthly intervals, while the males could bare multiple children at the same time.

Tsunade, didn't want any of her grandchildren to be born that way, it was despicable and vulgar, and besides, it will still be a long time before she even had grandchildren, and if Naruto becomes what she fears, then that dream may come sooner than she thought and if so, Naruto will get the tongue lashing of a life time.

She then heard the door knock and opened it to find, Shikaku Nara with his wife Yoshino Nara with their own toddler son, Shikamaru Nara who appeared to be the spitting image of Shikaku and will be more like him when he was older. Shikaku was holding his son while Yoshino was holding a gift with a cheery smile on her face, probably to hide her dominating personality.

Then Inoichi Yamanaka and his wife arrived next, with their baby daughter Ino Yamanaka, who inherited more of her clan features than her mother. Tsunade could tell that Ino was going to be a strong confident Kunoichi or a fangirl, fawning over someone who might not like her. Well whichever one she was we will just have to wait and see.

Next came Shibi Aburame, with his son Shino, Shibi's wife had died during childbirth but Tsunade knew that Shibi was affected by it and like the rest of his clan, never showed it. Shino was big for his age probably because he was born earlier than most of the other babies and it was cute seeing him wear a little caterpillar costume.

Then came around Tsume Inuzuka with her rowdy son Kiba Inuzuka, Kiba was the next head of the Inuzuka because his clan was patriarchal so he was next while his sister was the heir now. Kiba lacked the tattoos that dignified his clan, well it wasn't a good idea to tattoo babies in the first place.  
Then came the ever large Chōza Akimichi and his own large wife with their son Chōji Akimichi who had most of Chōza's features but his mothers brown hair unlike Chōza's flaming red hair. The Akmichi kindly showed themselves and made a bee-line for the food.

The Hyūga's were the next to arrive, with Hiashi and his wife along with his brother Hizashi and they brought along their own children, Hinata and her cousin Neji. Hizashi looked happy to be here while his brother seemed to have an eternal frown on his face, Hitomi Hyūga, Hiashi's wife was as kind as can be and she was currently old her ten month old daughter, Hinata who was a clone of her mother.

And Finally were the Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha, just the same as Hiashi, had this permanent frown on his face. While Mikoto had become good friends with Tsunade following Naruto's little adventure. The Uchiah matriarch would sometimes visit with her eldest son, Itachi Uchiha, who was absent at the moment. Although Tsunade got the sneaking suspicion that Fugaku didn't approve of Naruto, too bad, Naruto was here, he could do nothing about it and everyone was happy.

Every one of the visitors had brought gifts for Naruto, some brought toys, others brought clothes, Shibi Aburame gave him a book on insects. All of them were simple but sometimes the simplest things would be the most valuable.

So now she was watching all the tiny children play except Shino who was sitting I na corner with his father, their parents were also watching and they were talking amongst themselves, Mikoto and Tsunade were having a lovely conversation about their respective sons and the Uchiha woman hoped a little that Sasuke and Naruto would be good friends, they also talked about trivial things such as their clans and what happened in their day to day lives. Fugaku and Hiashi remained quiet however, and instead disconnected themselves with others.

Naruto seemed to be socialising rather well with the other children such as Neji and Kiba and was crawling around, playing with their toys. But their were two babies who were getting along handily, more so than the others, and that was her son and Naruto and Mikoto's son, Sasuke. Both babies were cheerful and energetic, they seemed to have this sort of connected with other, Tsuande wondered if Mikoto could see the future as she could already tell that Sasuke and Naruto were already friends as it seemed.

It was also ironic, given the fact that Senju and Uchiha were once bitter enemies, while growing up she was regularly bullied by Uchiha children around her own age, they wanted to intimidate her because she was the granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage, of course the bullies never picked on her for long before they landed half dead in the hospital. Even back then, Tsunade never took shit from anyone.

She at least wished that Naruto never picked up her habit of beating boys half to death like herself and Kushina.

But it was strange, Naruto and Sasuke had already known each other for hours, yet it felt like, they were brothers. At least that what it felt like.

Later the party was over and the guests left with their respective children. While Tsunade walked around her compound and found her way to her clans pond and she sat under the tree with the small Naruto in her arms.

And for the rest of the day she sang the child lullaby's that her own mother sang to her, soft and melodious, the leaves danced with her lulling voice and the wind echoed it across the sky, the waters of the pond rippled and vibrated. The toddler in her arms was near the grasp of sleep, and Tsunade kissed as she saw his eyes.

But one little word made her heart beat with a warmth she hadn't felt for a long time, nor did she think she would ever feel it again.

"Mama." said Naruto as he closed his eyes and drifted off to a blissful sleep, never seeing the lone tear of happiness cascade down Tsunade's cheek. Her son, being with her son, was standing next to heaven itself.

**Also check out my profile for Hane, Jueki, Oni and the temple of the whiter tiger.**


	5. The Dragon and the Tiger

**Rebirth of the Two Sons**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**The Dragon and the Tiger**

Konoha, the strongest Hidden village, was enjoying the peace it had ensured and the trying times it had suffered had passed, children of all ages were playing games with one another, unknowingly training their skills to the force of strength of their village. The children were seen as the hope and the future of Konoha, people would gladly lay down their lives to protect the children and their home, as part of their indomitable will for their village. But also, they would serve as role models for the children, guiding them and raising them to be honest and just people, that was what the Will of Fire was. The will of the village.

Spring was in the air, coating the mood and livelihood of the village with warmth and passion. The air itself carried the scent of the season, uplifting the peoples' moods and their well-being, Spring was a time for good-will and compassion which people shared with the other, but it was the Summer that people were looking forward, the time of Summer was a time for joyous celebration and life. Everyone in the village, never treated the other unjustly and discriminately, clans, shinobi and civilians alike mingled with others, establishing friendship and unshakable bonds. They wished for each other's safety and happiness while also showing sympathy for others and their close ones. The village that every person would treat the other fairly and equally, as this world had enough negatives in it.

However, this peace and kindness could only be brought about through sacrifices of one life, love and possession. There was a time when the village felt a great despair and hatred, that was only thwarted thanks to the heroic efforts of those who would sacrifice everything. And even though there wasn't a single person who had not lost one of their loved ones, the village had moved one and accepted that things happened for a reason, and that even if despair brought them down and would beat them to the ground, they would find the courage to stand back up and spit in it's face.

That time, hatred itself had attacked their home, but like all other times, it was thwarted, the literal incarnation of hatred and despair, the Kyūbi no Yōko (Nine tailed Demon Fox) as if a natural force of nature attacked their village and attempted to rip away that which people cherished, only the noble sacrifice of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, stopped the rampaging beast and saved their village from ensured destruction. Minato sacrificed everything to stop the demon fox, even if he would be leaving his only child, his son, Naruto Senju, fatherless.

It had been five years since the attack and Minato's sacrifice had not been forgotten by the people of the village. The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had filled the void left behind by the now late Hokage, the Sandaime had established peace and prosperity back to the village and had raised the people's spirits. Everything was as is it should be. Though the loss of their leader would forever leave a festering hole in the hearts of the people, but, would there be a hole in the heart of someone who never met his father? That was a tricky question indeed.

Although things had been hectic within the village, nothing on such a scale as the Kyūbi attack happened. Tsunade Senju, one of the densetsu no sannin (legendary three ninja) had been enjoying the peace, especially with her son, Naruto, the little boy was a handful for her, wild and full of energy, sometimes he could tire her out just from how hyperactive he was, the boy was everything Minato was not, and if it wasn't for the resemblance between Naruto and his father, Tsunade would never have guessed that Naruto was Minato's son at all. But the Senju heir was a carbon-copy, a clone of his father, inheriting the same golden-sun hair and the sapphire-ocean eyes. Although Naruto did have a few subtle features that distinguished himself from Minato, such as the shape of his eyes and face which he had definitely inherited from his mother, and he had three whisker like marks on each of his cheeks giving him a vulpine appearance akin to that of a fox. That made Tsuande sigh, Naruto had those whiskers because of an accident, when the boy before he was even born was subjected and exposed to the Kyūbi's chakra, resulting in the whiskers and now his body was serving as a jail to the beast that nearly destroyed his home.

Naruto was a Jinchūriki, a human sacrifice. Minato made him what he was the day he was born, and Naruto had lived with that information unknowingly. And hopefully it would remain that way until the blonde boy was old enough to understand.

Tsunade had raised Naruto as a single mother for the past five years, although it had it's ups and downs she could honestly say the last five years were the happiest of her life. Whenever she looked at her little boy, she would sometimes see him as the baby she had brought home, who couldn't even walk or talk, but now that he was older, he would do nothing but walk and talk, which sometimes gave the Senju mother a headache.

But other than that, Naruto was a happy-go-lucky kind of child, who never got bogged down by anything that could upset him. Naruto, personality wise was more like her than Minato, he got his father's looks while his mother's personality. He was exuberant, cheerful, loud, fearless, bright, compassionate, confident while also being a little dense and naïve while also heedless to an kind of formality and social standing, he was also kind and care-free and not-to-mention stubborn like a rock and yet he still had that adventurous spirit of his and natural curiosity for the world around him. That was who Naruto Senju was, the boy who wanted to be Hokage.

Naruto ever since he could walk, wanted to be Hokage, just as his father and great-grandfather before him, this was the by-product of Naruto wanting to prove that he wasn't the 'honourable son of the Yondaime Hokage' or the 'honourable descendant of the Shodaime Hokage'. He hated it, his parents gave him the name, Naruto, and he prided himself on that name since discovering that it was in a way, Jiraiya who gave him that name, and he wanted to be recognised as his own person and not what people thought he was.

That was what Naruto wanted to be.

So now, she and her son were sitting in her clan compound under the sakura tree by their pond feeding ducks, both were wearing traditional attire of their clan. cloudy-blue pin-stripped high-waist pants, red obi, kimono shirts which held Tsunade's ample bosom nicely and a white long sleeved haori reaching below the waist and had their clan symbol emblazoned on the back.

It was around that time that a group of ducks, a mother with her babies, swam in the pond and doing whatever ducks enjoyed doing.

Tsunade softly and gently dipped her index finger in the pond, disturbing the water and motioning for the ducks to approach them. When they swam near the two Tsunade held out her hand, revealing bread crumbs and bits, the ducklings unafraid of the blonde Senju leader, swam up to her and gratefully ate the bread from her hand. While her son was holding a large loaf of bread, presumably for the ducks to eat.

"Naru-chan, do you want to feed the ducks?" asked Tsunade with a sweet smile to which her son nodded until a devious idea popped into his head. Something which he thought would find funny. Naruto hefted the large loaf of bread and hurled it at one of the ducklings where it impacted against the small bird sinking it into the water and eliciting a small cry from the bird.

"Naruto! Why would you do that?" questioned Tsunade at what she just saw a little shocked by it, she knew her son was not cruel by any means, but she had to wonder why he would do such a thing to the duck. The baby duck which was hit by Naruto's bread, then surfaced and made a little moaning sound. The mother duck, seeing her baby in distress swam over and comforted her child and turned her attention to Naruto with an angry look in her eyes.

The mother duck, swam out of the pond and bit onto Naruto's leg in an aggressive manner hurting the small Senju and making him yell in pain. Naruto in response tried to shake the bird off his leg while continuously screaming 'ow!'. The mother duck wasn't happy that one of her children was attacked by the Senju heir so vented her protective nature on Naruto.

Tsunade in response gently pulled away the mother duck from Naruto's leg to which her son ceased his screaming after having the animal pried off his leg. Tsunade then placed the duck back into the pond where the duck joined her babies and swam away to a different part of the pond with the baby ducks trailing after her away from Naruto who who curled his legs to his chest and pouted at the ducks swimming away.

"Stupid duck! Why'd she do that?" questioned Naruto glaring at the ducks who caused him trouble. Tsunade then sat a little closer to Naruto and decided to offer some of her motherly wisdom to him.

"Naruto, thats what moms are like, if you mess with their babies." she then tickled Naruto whiling pretending to bite him. "They're gonna bite you back." she then hugged Naruto close to her and just watched the scene before their eyes, simple and peaceful. It were the small moments in Tsunade's life that made them all the worthwhile and rememberable, she took comfort in the simplicities and that was all she could ask for.

She was also happy that Naruto didn't become what she thought he would, arrogant and cruel, she feared this when the villager's kept stroking Naruto's ego and kept rewarding him things for what she or Minato had done, Naruto hated it, he just wanted to be treated as if he was a normal boy, but she knew that normal could never happen for him, there was too much craziness in his blood and life for him to be normal. It was also hard for him to make friends since most children were intimidated by him, because of his status and ties to her and the village leaders. He was very much alone, but it wasn't enough for him to not be happy.

"Hey mom, we'll always be together, right." said Naruto with a big smile, but made Tsunade's own smile fall as what would come in the future and what Naruto was saying would never happen. She dropped her smile in order for her to think over he words.

"Naruto, it's time you know that you know some wisdom, and a message that my mother gave me. Just as the sun and moon replace each other when night and day comes, and how the seasons change according to the cycle. Not many things in this world will last forever, and just as a cycle, we leave this world for another, leaving behind those we care for. We never last forever and we must always leave, but we will always be together, even if you never see me again. For I'll be right here, with you, in here." said Tsunade pointing to Naruto's chest more specifically, his heart, to which her son placed his hand over his heart.

"You'll always be in here?" queried the small boy, to which his mother nodded and with a smile on her face that was filled with nothing but love. "Is dad in here too?" spoke Naruto with his hand still over his heart. Tsunade knew that Naruto would never have the chance of meeting his father, he would never truly know his father's love, so to be with him, in a sense and the stone faces on the mountain was the closest connection he had to Minato.

"He is in there, and he will always be in there, until it's your time to leave." said Tsunade kissing her son's forehead, an act of love she had been performing since he was a baby and she held him close to her for the rest of the day.

Someday, Naruto would fully understand her words and the meaning behind the words, he was five years old, there was still much of the world he didn't understand. So she would enjoy the time she had with him, until she would leave.

* * *

Naruto and Tsunade were walking through the clan compound, today was a history lesson for her son, who was the last Senju and as such Tsunade would need to spend a lot of time informing Naruto of their clan customs, traditions and history. This information would be used for Naruto to someday teach his own children about the clan, Tsunade of course first taught Naruto the basics of the clan, such as they were the strongest and most feared and their enemies would fall over themselves in fear of facing the Senju.

She also showed him several rooms where the clan relics and jutsu were kept and everywhere in the compound were walls with paintings of clouds and dragons breathing fire and spitting water. When Naruto questioned his mother about it, she answered that since the founding of their clan, the Senju have been likened to dragons, just as the Senju were masters of all forms of jutsu from Ninjutsu-Genjutsu-Taijutsu, dragons were masters of Sky-Sea-Land inhabiting any and all planes of Heaven and Earth. So when the first Senju heard of that, they incorporated dragons in their architecture, customs and lives.

When Naruto asked what had happened to the dragons and how they seemingly disappeare from the world, Tsunade bluntly answered that they were hunted down to extinction, all in the name of glory an honour, something to which Tsunade was disgusted by as dragons were once vast and plentiful on the world and the only glory you would get from a dragon was seeing one and being in it's presence, not for sport. One mural Naruto saw depicted two dragons drawn as if their bodies were flames breathing fire onto a man almost as if they were bestowing a gift onto him. The sight amazed the small eyes of the blonde haired boy, and he wondered if at all, that he could see a dragon if the possibility that they were still alive out there. He then rejoined his mother as they kept walking around the compound.

They eventually left the building they were in and Tsuande took Naruto to a certain place in the compound, a temple the Senju have safeguarded sine they first settled in the village. Tsunade then pressed her hand into a small circle which was located on a large, golden, circular door. She then sent some of her chakra into the door where it opened, Tsunade ushered her son in and they found statues with headdresses, most of them with mean faces and no two statues were the same in the middle of the room was an image orange-red lotus made of fire.

"This, is a place where the Senju would practice our taijutsu here in the compound, this temple has been around since the founding of the village and was created by the Shodaime for aspiring ninja from the Senju clan." explained Tsunade as her son took in the sights around him.

"Whats up with the statues?" questioned Naruto as he stared at one in particular.

"Each statue, showcases a specific step in a taijutsu style that has been handed down by our clan for generation on end. We call it, The **Butō Ryū (Dancing Dragon)** it uses agility, strength and speed to deliver fast and hard attacks with little time for our opponents to react. Although I don't use the style myself all our clan members are suppose to learn it. Naru-chan, follow the steps of the statue and copy their movements." said Tsunade to which Naruto did as instructed and stood behind the first statue where he assumed it's pose. And just as the statues, he followed their exact steps although he did get some of the stances wrong, Tsunade never expected him to be a master of the taijutsu style immediately. And he followed the ten stances and found his way to the other side of the room. To which Tsunade nodded, she then reached into her robe and pulled out a scroll where she handed it to Naruto who opened it to find the steps of the statues and the picture of the two dragons breathing fire onto the man.

"This scroll, will help you understand the taijutsu style some more, we will practice later during the week. And Naru-chan, this temple, to my knowledge, holds something of value in it, I do know that you have to perform each of the steps perfectly to the letter as shown by the statues, but it's incredibly difficult and to find out whats housed in here they have to be 'exactly' perfect, only the Shodaime was able to discover what was housed in here, maybe you might too." spoke Tsunade with a smile to which Naruto smiled also.

After they left for the day and stopped the lessons of the Senju clan.

* * *

Naruto was walking around the village, without his mother, something he would usually do. He knew exactly where she was, she was with Shizune at the hospital tending to the wounded shinobi and civilian alike. He could feel that he was safe in the village, maybe he was being unknowingly followed by a squad of ANBU including Kakashi Hatake among them.

He made his way to one of the forests that was in the village, he strafed by the trees and the leaves patted his head, he felt so alive in a forest that he might actually be able to sleep in one, maybe it was because of his family ties to forests and such, he was disappointed by the fact that there were no more dragons left in the world, he really wanted to see one, what they were like what they ate. dragons simply fascinated him.

He didn't know where he was going, just to someplace, but it felt like he was being drawn to something.

He then saw something, it was strange like it was covered in stone, it was surrounded by twigs and such and leaves dotted it's form, it was an oval shape and Naruto didn't know what to make of it. It could hold it in both of his hands, when Naruto touched it the rock and stone that was covering it dissolved and fell off the oval, revealing a pearly white egg looking thing. Naruto, natural curiosity getting the better of him picked up the oval and noted that it was warm to the touch.

Deciding to investigate more, Naruto returned to the village and back to his compound.

When he made it back to his compound, he placed the oval on his desk in his room, he wondered what it was so he went to his clans library to see what it was. There he could find nothing on special stones shimmering like pearls, so instead he looked for a book on eggs, but also found nothing of note. Whatever it was, he knew that it was mysterious in many ways.

Later that day he showed his mother the mysterious oval, since she knew more about stuff than he did then she must have known what the magical egg was.

"What do you think it is mom?" questioned Naruto as he watched his mother fondle with the warm oval, with a put on her lips and her eyes narrowed.

"Well, I can say this, there's something, alive in there, I can sense it's chakra." spoke Tsunade who thought what she was holding came from a magical bird. But she wasn't any animal expert by any means so what she was saying was merely conjecture. Since it was warm the bird on the inside would probably hatch by itself in time.

She placed the egg back on Naruto's desk and eyed it some more before turning to her son.

"Where did you find this egg Naru-chan?" questioned Tsunade.

"In the forest, I felt drawn to it for some reason, and if it's an egg, where's it's mommy and daddy?" queried Naruto with a lost look in his eyes. Tsunade didn't want to say anything, but she believed that the parents of the egg must have abandoned it, it was no uncommon for animals, or humans, to abandon their children to save themselves or on a whim. She couldn't tell Naruto that, it would surely break his heart if he ever found out.

"I'm not to sure Naru-chan. But it's best if you keep an eye on it. And see if it hatches." said Tsunade before she left the room but not before mussing up Naruto's hair on the way out.

So for the next month, Naruto would watch the egg and see if it would hatch. But there was no indication if it would hatch. He was a little excited to see what would come out of the egg, perhaps a super awesome mega dope bird that he could ride into battle and beat up all the bad guys, he's was still a five year old so it was natural for him to have those thoughts.

He desperately wanted to know what was to hatch from the egg, his mother said it was a bird so he naturally believed that it was a bird. Just what was inside the egg.

One night during the warm hours of late Spring, when Naruto was asleep in his bed did he wake to hear this cracking and clicking sounds, resonating from his room. It woke him up and he got out of his bed to see the magic egg moving about as if something was ready to burst from it. Excitement getting over him, the blonde Senju heir dashed over to his desk to see cracks and breaks forming over the egg.

He literally had to hold his breath from the enthusiasm of this moment, he then saw a hole, open up in the egg and all he could really see was a round blue eye staring back at him, Naruto tilted his head to the side where he saw the rest of the egg shell fall apart.

* * *

When morning came Tsunade was happily drinking some sake when she saw her son come around the corner.

"Hey mom, about birds, do they have wings?" questioned the five year old to which the Senju mother nodded her head. "Do they also have tails?" to which she nodded again. "And do they have scales?"

Now that question caught Tsunade completely off-guard, do birds have scales?

"Ummm, I don't think so Naru-chan." said Tsunade with one eyebrow raised and one eye squinted in confusion. She then saw something bobbing around in Naruto's clothing, like a long lump working it's way around his body. "Uhh Naru-chan?"

"Wait, mom, if birds don't have scales, then what is this little guy? Ok you can come out, she won't hurt you." said Naruto as he pulled on his kimono shirt and talked down into it as he spoke. What popped out made Tsunade's eyes bulge out of her skull, and her jaw to drop to the floor.

It was a long head of a.

"SNAKE!" shrieked Tsunade who was screaming illogically as she had been around snakes plenty of times when she was around her former teammate Orochimaru.

Said man was currently peforming one of his inhumane experiments when he heard the scream.

"I like snakes." said the man before going back to work.

Tsunade meanwhile had nearly jumped out of her skin and took cover by backing away and jumping on the table with a frying pan in her hand, trying to defend herself from the slithering reptile that was crawling around Naruto's body making Tsunade scream even more at what she was seeing, Naruto meanwhile looked at his mother as if she had grown a second head. What was she screaming about in the first place was running through the boy's head.

"I don't think it's a snake mom, as snakes don't have legs." said Naruto making Tsunade's eyes go wide and her cheeks to flush from embarrassment, she slowly eased herself off the table and put the frying pan away before she could actually hurt someone.

Naruto reached into his clothes and pulled out the 'snake' as what Tsunade just said. What it was amazed Tsunade, it had a long serpentine body, which made Tsunade almost believe it was a snake, a pair of small wings and semi-long limbs, upon it's head were two small stubs which were probably horns, it had a small tufts of fur around the sides of it's face and chin and two small, black fangs on either sides of it's face with one pair pointing and another pointing down, running down it's spine were small black spikes that weren't really that big, two barbels under each nostril, it's tail had a hairy tuft upon it, small ears, a long snout with rows of black teeth and it's body was completely white with varying shades of grey. All in all, Tsunade had only seen these creatures in books it was a.

"Dragon." whispered Tsunade, not believing what she was seeing right in front of her. A living, breathing, alive dragon. This was all the proof she needed to know that her son, wasn't normal. Just how, the last dragon was slain fifty years before her birth, around during the time of her grandfather. The creatures almost revered as gods along with the tiger, was alive and well, it, it almost made her feint just thinking about it. Dragons were no longer extinct. What would she do? She could get rid of it? No it would break Naruto's heart. She could kill it? Same result. Dragons grew to be massive in size so where would she keep it?

"Naru-chan, do you know, thats a dragon?" asked Tsunade forcing a smile to which Naruto believed it was just a normal smile.

"Well, at first I thought it was a weird bird, or some kind of snake, but then I figured out it was a dragon, I just wanted to show you, his name is Tentō." said Naruto innocently as he held the dragon, Tentō out in-front of him towards his mother, Tsunae was surprised as the dragon could fit in both of Naruto's hands, although Tsunade herself looked rather uneasy because of the presence of the dragon.

She then took her hand and petted the beast along it's back and made a sort of purring sound, obviously enjoying what Tsunade was doing, she noted that instead of being slimy and tough and chunky scales the scales on Tentō were smooth and soft, although she figured the scales would harden as it got older. In response Tentō licked her hand, something which Tsuande jumped at.

"Did you name him Naru-chan?" asked Tsunade with a still nervous smile.

"Yeah, it means heaven light or sky light. But I prefer heaven light, so his name is Tentō and ever since he hatched he's been clinging to me." answered Naruto sweetly not fully understanding what was happening. "Maybe because he can't fly yet, or breath fire, or shoot water jets out of it's nose or any of that other cool stuff."

Tsunade adopting a clam and loving facade for now, knew that she had to keep Naruto and his new pet Tentō happy. "Well Naru-chan why don't you go and play with Tentō outside for a while." said Tsunade although she was rebutted as Naruto said his name is Tentō not Tendō.

Tsunade after seeing her son disappear made a bee-line for her library to read about everything regarding dragons.

From what she read, before the last dragon, who's position is now voided and belonging to another, dragons were actually benevolent beings and only chose to harm humans in self-defence, when their children were in peril, or if you stole their food. Other than that, dragons had little reason to attack and kill humans, if anything dragons actually enjoyed the company of humans. But they were extremely defensive of their young, so why didn't Tentō's parents attack Naruto, was Tentō abandoned? And if so, then Naruto has become the dragon's parent?

So many thoughts were rushing through her mind, this could end badly as some people may want to kill Tentō for glory for slaying the last dragon. However this could also be good for her the dragon was associated with her clan just as the Nara clan were associated with deer. Some other clans may take this as a sign of good fortune and would claim that the Senju would have a happy future. This was all too much for her. However, this may be good for Naruto, he didn't have many friends as all the other children were intimidated by him perhaps this dragon could be good for him. From what she read Tentō had little reason to attack Naruto, perhaps.

She would talk to Sarutobi about this, she needed his wisdom.

"So... a dragon..." said Sarutobi puffing on his pipe with Tsunade in-front of him. "And the dragon's name is Tentō, male of course, you checked, seventeen inches long, three inches wide. Predominately white with black horns, spikes and teeth." said Sarutobi trying to calm himself down from this new revelation.

"Don't feint sensei." said Tsunade with a little concern laced in her voice.

"A dragon."

"Yes."

"And your son has 'bonded' with it."

"Yes."

"Ok."

"What should we do sensei?" questioned Tsunade a little desperate for his answer. Sarutobi smacked himself in the face and adopted his stalwart Hokage demeanour, he could already imagine a certain bandaged man who would be frothing at the mouth from the idea of a dragon under his thumb.

"We do nothing." said Sarutobi which made Tsunade gobsmacked at the man.

"Wait, what do you mean we do nothing!" yelled Tsunade who got out of her seat and started shaking her former teacher around like a ragdoll.

"The dragon hasn't left Naruto's side, has he?" spoke Hiruzen to which Tsunade nodded. "And as you said the dragon will only attack if threatened, it's children are in-danger or food is taken from it."

"Tentō isn't a threat to Konoha, nor will he if we take the right precautions. The dragon seems content to stay with Naruto, let it be that way. Allow Naruto to raise Tentō, therefore forming a bond between him and the dragon, the dragon may develop a loyalty with Konoha through Naruto and can be used as a powerful asset. And besides, Naruto needs a friend." said Hiruzen with a smile. Tsunade surprised at his statement also smiled and let her sensei go.

"If anyone tries to take Tentō away from Naruto then I will undermine their authority saying the dragon is dangerous, if he is separated from his master then it will turn it's wrath on Konoha and burn it to the ground. A little white lie won't hurt anyone, especially since you said the dragon can't breath fire yet." spoke Sarutobi and Tsuande was touched by his kind heart allowing Naruto to keep Tentō and therefore have a friend, and it was no different than the Inuzuka's and their dogs.

So Tsunade returned home to see Naruto and his newest friend and probably life-long companion Tentō having a staring contest. Which was typical of Naruto as he was highly competitive. But still, a dragon.

How would she fit it into their compound when it would grow to be the size of a small mountain.

* * *

Over the course of the next month, Naruto would do everything and anything with his dragon, Tentō. Tentō was interesting to Naruto and Tsunade, although Shizune always became frightened in his presence as she believed, given the chance, Tentō would eat Tonton as she tought Bacon was among dragons favourite snacks, although Tsunade had read about it that fish were the preferred food for dragons and weasels among them also.

Personality wise, Tentō was everything Tsunade didn't think he would be, he is playful, active yet docile and has a mischievous side also sometimes she would find him in her bed, slithering around like a snake. Like her son, Tentō was naturally curious and whatever Naruto was doing, Tentō would become interested in it as if it was his favourite toy, Tentō was also incredibly smart for he was able to understand various words and actions that Naruto did and said. But he was also jealous when Naruto would ever shift his attention Tonton to Tsunade's eyes in the short amount of time Naruto had known Tentō they were incredibly close with a near unrivalled bond of friendship.

Tentō also didn't mature at a fast rate, he had yet to be able to fly, though was trying very hard at it, unable to even light a spark in his breath or scratch even wood with his claws. But Tsunade knew that Tentō would become a formidable enemy to Konoha in the future.

But for now Tentō would just follow Naruto around upon his shoulders, wherever the blonde would go Tentō would go also and since he couldn't fly he resided in Naruto's clothes for transport.

* * *

Naruto was walking through the forests, with Tentō resting within his clothes. He felt oddly at peace wherever he went, be it wood trees and metal buildings, the scent of leaves and iron, the touch of bark and steel, just anywhere in particular, his mother once found him resting in a tree he had climbed, or sleeping on a cold, uncomfortable metal floor, sometimes Shizune thought it was mutant really but it was just ordinary skills.

There was just something about wood and metal that he found interesting. Almost as if he could talk to it.

But there was neither he nor there. He just wanted to escape the ass-kissing of the villagers for being the Yondaime's son. That was something he was regretful about, he had heard many things of the Yondaime from his mother, Shizune, the Sandaime Hiruzen and Jiraiya. There words could never fill the void left behind, he hated it, he hated how hi father died and left him alone, he hated the stone face on the mountain knowing it was not a replacement for him, he wanted his father to say 'I love you' and 'I'm proud of you' stone faces could never say the things the real person would say.

When people would comment about his father it would always leave this sore spot in his heart, he knew that his mother tried her best to fill the empty space but there were some things that only father's could do and say.

"Come on, just have to get it to the other side." said a voice making Naruto snap his head to the side to locate the position of the voice while Tentō popped his head from Naruto's robes near his collar to also find out where the voice was coming from. Naruto travelled through the trees and thickets with an intense curiosity to find the voice and it's clear aggravation.

"Almost there come on." spoke voice, piquing Naruto's interest even more, when he finally found the source of the voice he widened his eyes to see a boy around his age skipping stones across the river, which just happened to be the Tenryū (Heaven Dragon) river. Each time the boy threw a stone it would only just miss it's mark which was the other side of the bank. Naruto noticed that the boy was fair-skinned with onyx eyes and black shin-length hair with bangs framing the sides of his face and his hair was spiky at the back, resembling a ducks butt. He wore a dark blue shirt with the symbol of the Uchiha clan which was a fan, one half red and the other half white, he also wore white shorts and sandals.

"Just one more time." said the boy as he reared his hand ready to throw the rock across the waters of the river and hopefully reach the other end of the river.

"HI I'M NARUTO!" said Naruto as he suddenly appeared behind the boy with a big smile on his face and his hand in the air signalling who he was. The black haired boy in response at being startled at the new voice spun around and accidentally threw the stone he was holding which smacked itself right in Naruto forehead.

Naruto after being struck in the head fell to the ground with wide white eyes, his arms and legs splayed about and yellow birds flying around his, while the black haired boy had his jaw open and his eyes wide and white. Naruto held his hand to his forehead and sat up in a sitting position.

"YOU BASTARD! WHY'D YOU DO THAT!" yelled Naruto suddenly growing sharp teeth and with literal fire in his eyes, catching the black haired boy in surprise and cowered under Naruto's roar a little.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SURPRISED ME! I LIKE HAVE SUPER CAT LIKE REFLEXES SO THATS HOW I'M SO AWARE OF STUFF!" yelled back the boy, putting Naruto in his place.

"YOU JUST WANTED TO HIT ME WITH THAT ROCK AND YOU KNOW IT! GUESS YOU YOU CAN ADD EXCUSE MAKING TO YOUR ANNOYING HABITS!" yelled back Naruto as he got off his feet and pointed a finger at the black haired boy whose jaw dropped to the ground in exasperation.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ON ABOUT! AND WHO'S MAKING EXCUSES NOW!" replied the boy who gripped his fist where veins appeared on his fist and he adopted multiple tick marks on his head and like Naruto his teeth became comically sharp.

'this asshole' thought both boys at the same while they butted heads and grinding their teeth while staring intently in the others eyes.

"I know a way to see who's right." said Naruto dropping his angry visage and took on a lighthearted demeanour. "We'll skip stones, the first to make it the other side wins."

"And who'll go first? if I may ask." responded the boy with a slight pout and an eyebrow raised at the hyperactive nature of the blonde in front of him.

"We'll decide through rock-paper-scissors." said Naruto with a big smile, to which the boy almost face-faulted at the answer. He then brought out his fist in-front of his rival.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors!" said the two at once, and both landed on rock.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors!" but this time they both landed on scissors which the two became increasingly annoyed at the other.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors!" they tried again but both landed on paper to which tick marks appeared on their faces.

"One more time. Rock-Paper-Scissors!" and for the final time they landed on their respective hand gestures, Naruto was rock while the black haired boy was paper making said boy smirk at his victory.

"You cheated." mumbled Naruto to which his counterpart proclaimed/ questioned how you could chest at Rock-Paper-Scissors.

"Alright watch this!" said the boy as he picked up a stone and skipped it across the water, to which it bounced a total of three times before sinking into the water with a 'splotch' causing the boy to have a straight face so to hide his annoyance in his actions and his form to shake in irritation at his failed attempt of stone skipping.

"Ha! you suck, watch pro handle this." said Naruto as he picked up a stone and retracted his arm ready to toss it across the water. He threw the stone with great speed and power at the water, hoping it would make it across to the other side.

However it didn't even bounce and merely sunk into the water. Naruto sweatdropped at the result and to cry on the inside.

"So you're a pro are you?" questioned the boy as he crossed his arms and smirked at his blonde haired rival.

"SHUT UP YOU ASSHOLE! YOU STOOD BEHIND ME ON PURPOSE SO TO DISTRACT ME! I CAN SEE INTO YOUR MIND AND SHIT AND I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING!" yelled Naruto with flaming eyes as he pointed at the black haired boy.

"OH YEAH SURE I WAS!" yelled the Uchiha boy with sarcasm laced in his voice. But then he found himself tackled to the ground with Naruto wrestling him into the ground.

"SEE YOU JUST CONFESSED!" Yelled Naruto as he physically squabbled with the boy. Obviously Naruto did not understand sarcasm and mistook the boy's 'confession' to be true.

They spent the next half-hour wrestling like little boys (which they were) to see who could get the upper hand over the other. They were shouting obscene things at one another such as tossing each other into the water or hanging them up in trees by their underwear.

Eventually the boys became so tired after fighting each other that they were panting heavily and on their butts.

"Seeing as how, neither of us can decide... what were we talking about again?" questioned Naruto as he had continued wrestling with the other boy just for the fun of it.

"Yeah, I can't remember what we were talking about also." said the Uchiha boy as he and his rival got up off the ground.

"So why were you out here in the first place?" asked Naruto as he dusted himself off and stared at the Uchiha in front of him.

"My older brother told me that he trained in shuriken jutsu by throwing stones across a river, and that if your stone could make it to the other side. Well, he never told me what would happen after it reached the other side, so I'v been training out here since the sun came up." spoke the boy, explaining his reasons.

"Cool, guess I have to give it a try, perhaps if we came back here tomorrow, we can throw stones together." said Naruto. "Lets make that a promise." the blonde Senju then held out his hand and formed the seal of reconciliation but this time it would be used to form a promise between the two.

The other boy smiled and also made the seal of reconciliation and intertwined his fingers with the blonde's forming their promise and their future friendship.

"You know, I never caught your name." said Naruto with a smile, happy that it seems like he had just made a new friend, something he's wanted for a long time.

"It's Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha. I don't need to know yours since you yelled it in my ear." spoke the now revealed Sasuke smiling a little at having a friend to whom he can train with.

"Well, you'll hear it again, I'm Naruto Senju." said Naruto with a large grin to which Sasuke also smiled at. Not truly knowing who was standing before him.

"Well, see you tomorrow... Naruto." said Sasuke before he walked in a different direction not before waving goodbye to his new friend, but he didn't know the implications of saying the blonde's name. The reaction was Naruto smiled both inside and out at someone using his name and not his title, he was excited for the days he would spend with Sasuke.

* * *

So now Naruto was on his way home, back to his compound where his mother was probably waiting for him. He was just so happy that the grin on his face wouldn't fall, he had just made a new friend, one who wasn't intimidated by him because of his status and actually used his name rather than his title.

"Guess making friends was easier than I thought, huh Tentō." stated Naruto as he looked down his kimono shirt to see his small dragon pop his head out from the robes and make a chirping sound in response and then took cover back into Naruto's clothes. Naruto had also discovered that Tentō was shy around new people as he mainly kept himself hidden when Naruto was talking with Sasuke.

Naruto looked up into the sky and noticed that the sun would be setting soon, in a few more hours, although he was free to wonder around the village without qualms, as a squad of ANBU would always trail him unknowingly, his mother didn't appreciate it when he was out after dark, she had this over-protective nature of hers that made her baby him whenever she saw the chance.

She was freaking out and nearly had a heart attack when he got a scratch on his cheek one time and took him to the hospital for intensive treatment only to discover that her fears were unwarranted. Causing her said son to sweatdrop at her for the rest of the week.

He then heard the sound of crying to his right, it sounded shrill and in distress but wasn't enough to catch any adults attention to the matter, Tentō popped his head out of Naruto's robes and slithered around his shoulders probably sensing something was wrong.

Naruto looked to his right down a large alley where two boys he recognised from all the times he played at the park with his mothers watchful gaze.

He knew the two boys as Hibachi and Unagi, two bullies that roughhoused kids and took their money, their targets were only civilian children and lesser members of clans, they never bothered Naruto as he was a clan heir and they wouldn't bother any high social standing kids in their clans.

Hibachi was around Naruto's height and had long brown hair that was trapped in a hat and a yellow short and green shorts.

Unagi was a bespectacled boy with long brown hair. He wore a blue tracksuit, red shorts and a green headband around his forehead.

They were currently picking on a girl shorter than them she had exotic bright pink hair with bangs that framed her forehead and face, emerald green eyes that made him believe that there was actual jewels in her eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless white blouse with a yellow dress underneath and sandals. She currently had tears trailing down her cheeks from the teasing words of the boys in front of her.

"You! A shinobi, get real, as if they'll accept someone like you." spoke Hibachi with a cruel sneer on his face revelling in the pain the pink haired girl was showing.

"Come on Hibachi thats cruel... but the truth does hurt." spoke the other boy Unagi who had the same sneer on his face.

"She'll probably die in two seconds on her first mission. As if she'll amount to anything but an annoyance." continued Hibachi with his torment on the pink haired girl.

"Yeah, and that huge forehead will make the perfect target we should probably paint a bullseye on it to make sure they hit it's mark, she might even fall on her kunai if she's lucky." said Unagi giggling scornfully about the girl's appearance.

Hibachi snickering a little at what his 'friend' said finally took notice of the girl holding something close to her chest and cradling it protectively. Hibachi reached over and plucked the thing away from the girl who put up a fight by tugging back on the item but ultimately the bully wrested it from her hands.

"Medical Ninjutsu Basics." said Hibachi as he examined the book in front of him. "I guess that when you die from a cut you can heal it again, only to die later on."

"G-give me my book back." whimpered Sakura under the fierce gaze of the boys in-front of her.

"Oh and what ya gonna do about it, hit us with your big forehead." he came to regret those words as the pink haired girl did exactly as he said, head butting him in the nose causing it to bleed and him to scream in pain. The other boy seeing his comrade get hurt, pushed Sakura against the wall hard where she hit her head.

Both boys got up from the ground and it didn't matter if she was a girl, they were gonna beat her up any way.

The pinkette could only watch as the two boys were encroaching on her, however, as if in slow motion, Hibachi was suddenly hit in the face with what appeared to be a foot causing him to spit out blood and his head to become dizzy.

Unagi seeing his friend fall to the ground, looked up to see a boy wearing formal attire of the cloudy-blue pin-stripped high-waist pants, red obi, kimono shirt and a long sleeved haori that extended to the waist.

Unagi although scared went to attack the boy only to have a foot strike his crotch causing him to keep over in pain at man's only weakness.

Hibachi getting up off the ground ran at Naruto wanting to beat him up except Naruto performed a move of the **Būto Ryū** with both hands placed on the ground and his right leg extended, tripped Hibachi over making the boy land flat on his face and to cry a little.

Unagi having just recovered from the assault on his crotch, tried to punch Naruto but it ended in the same result because Naruto being a clan heir was trained from the moment he could walk and performed another move of the **Būto Ryū **where he launched a fist with his other hand by his side ready to attack again.

Naruto's fist smacked right into Unagi's chin dazing the boy long enough for Naruto to kick him in the crotch again, this time more painful than the last.

Knowing that they couldn't beat Naruto with their limited skills, Hibachi and Unagi ran away so to not be beat up any more than they were. At that moment Tentō slithered out of Naruto's clothes and roared at the two boys which sounded like a quiet squeak which wasn't intimidating in the least.

Naruto turned to the girl to see her staring in amazement at him just wondering who the golden-haired boy was before her. Naruto saw the book the girl was carrying on the ground and picked it up where dusted it off from all the dirt, he handed the book back to the girl where she accepted it without question and always with that look of amazement and admiration in her eyes.

"You know medical ninjutsu is cool, my mom's awesome at it." said Naruto to which the girls mind rebooted and took in what he had just said.

"T-thank you." said the girl blushing a little at his compliment.

"You know, now that I look at it, your forehead is massive..." said Naruto not knowing what he was saying as the girl's blush disappeared and some tears were beginning to swell in her eyes and she was about ready to cry again. "It's very cute." said Naruto with a large smile causing the to nearly stop crying and look at Naruto in a new light, never before has anyone complimented her forehead rather than insult it, she covered her hair over her forehead unknowingly fuelling the bullies teasing. Sakura blushed at his words and she instinctively rubbed her forehead, seemingly gaining a new adoration for the feature she hated most.

"The name's Naruto." spoke the blonde active boy with a large smile at the girl in front of him.

"I-I'm Sakura." replied Sakura nervously and covering the lower part of her face with the book she was holding and looked toward the ground a little nervous into looking into Naruto's eyes.

She then found ocean blue orbs looking directly into her own eyes as Naruto lowered his head and body so to meet her gaze.

"That's a pretty name, just as pretty as your hair." said Naruto smiling a little looking Sakura in the eyes causing the little girl to jump a little and to crouch to the ground with her back to Naruto while a blush was on her face and she was puffing her cheeks, enlightened and embarrassed by his words.

"So you're interested in medical ninjutsu." stated Naruto to which Sakura got up onto her feet and replied to his statement.

"Yes, I broke my arm and my mom took me to Tsunade-sama, and she fixed it, and now I'm I like medical ninjutsu and want to be just like Tsunade-sama." replied Sakura.

"Cool, My moms Tsunade and she's the greatest medic in the world." spoke Naruto surprising Sakura revealing the fact that he was the famous heir of the Senju clan. Son of the Yondaime and Tsunade, she at first thought that the heir of the Senju would be a bratty person like the bullies who picked on her and be someone just unlikeable. But from what she had seen Naruto was nothing like she thought he was, he was compassionate, brave and kind, none of the traits she thought he would possess.

"Well, I have to go, if I see you in the academy we can hang out together." said Naruto waving goodbye to the girl as it was getting dark, while Sakura merely watched his retreating form and something white slither up his pants which made her quirk an eyebrow at the slithering thing.

She like Naruto left for her home and to think about the day's discoveries.

* * *

When Naruto made it home, his mother and Shizune had questioned him as to where he had been and he answered that he was out making friends, causing Tsunade and Shizune smile at Naruto finally making 'human' friends and not with dragons.

* * *

When Sasuke made it home he had a smile on his face and Itachi and Mikoto questioned why he said that he had made a friend and a rival.

* * *

While Sakura said to her parents about meeting a boy from a noble clan that defended her from bullies made her parents happy of course since Sakura had been bullied for a while and they wondered if it would ever stop.

* * *

After that, Naruto and Sasuke started meeting at the same spot nearly everyday, testing their skills and abilities while talking about the future and what they would do. The talks were entertaining as Naruto usually said the most amount of words while Sasuke would nod or shake his head or not listen at all, they didn't have much in common but that only increased their bond of friendship even more. Such as Naruto liked the colour orange but Sasuke would insult the colour and say purple is a better colour to which Naruto would respond and say that was the gay colour insinuating certain things about Sasuke which would lead to a brawl between the two making them go home with dirt on their clothes and bruises on their body, but they would always return home with a smile on their faces.

However the difference between their respective skills was great, Sasuke was a genius, it didn't take long for him to master whatever he was doing and in little time, Naruto was unskilled, unskilled being the politest world, he was no good at anything, which was foreshadowed when the two first skipped rocks.

Sasuke required little to no effort in anything, while Naruto constantly struggled to improve himself, despite being the son of two amazingly powerful shinobi, he had inherited none of their talents, something which he hated and scorned, but he did inherit their determination and he never gave up on what he was doing until he mastered.

However, Naruto was never jealous of Sasuke, ok he may be a little but it was in a friendly way, that was hoe their rivalry could be explained, friendly, one attempting to be better than the other, Sasuke would normally watch Naruto struggle making the Uchiha boy assist his friend in the matter. Though Naruto still struggled at the simplest things such as shuriken training.

And Sasuke, even though Naruto was unskilled unlike he was it never changed his view of him and instead, it made him want to help the Senju even more.

Like always during the day, they would take a break every now and then and discuss certain things that were bothering them or they would learn more about each other.

They were currently sitting on the rock they usually rested on when they would talk about the things going on in their life.

"I just have to practice some more and then I can get that jutsu mastered." said Naruto as he took a swig of water from a bottle that was sitting next to him. He was sweating heavily after practicing on that one jutsu he was having trouble with, he could never get it right, no matter how hard he tried.

"Well, I've already got the jutsu down, no point in me practicing it anymore." said Sasuke as he stretched his arms and cracked his neck as he had a very bad crick in his neck.

"No matter what you do you just happen to be good at it, one day you'll find something that you're not good at and I'm better at." said Naruto with a grin smiling at his best friend.

"And is there anything I'm not good at?" questioned/stated Sasuke with a smirk to which Naruto grit his teeth comically knowing he was right.

"You can be a jerk you know that." mumbled Naruto with a pout at Sasuke who only smirked some more at his poor blonde friend.

"Just admit it, I'm more awesome than you." chuckled Sasuke to which turned his head so to not look him in the eye knowing it would inflate his ego even more.

"You know I heard something really strange yesterday, when my mom took me to the hospital to teach me medical ninjutsu." said Naruto with his eyes to the ground and a melancholy face remembering moment from yesterday with his mother.

When Naruto was four, he was uninterested in medical ninjutsu he'd rather just play with his toys and Tonton but when he got hurt, his mother had healed with him with her medical ninjutsu which piqued his interest and he wanted to help people just as his mother did everyday. So she would bring him along with her and Shizune to treat the victims of violence and disease at the hospital and she taught him the basics although he was having trouble grasping them as he also found difficulty in medical ninjutsu.

"When she healed this guy who nearly lost his leg in his last mission, she asked him why he became a shinobi in the first place, why he would seek the life of a shinobi, a life of death and death-bringing. Although she did they so it was procedure to ask such a thing." spoke Naruto still remembering what the man said and shocked him to the core. He never expected those words to come out of the mouth of a shinobi of Konoha. "He answered by saying that he sought vengeance for the death of his father against Iwa. He also said that he hated Iwa and anyone that lived in Iwa, he said that it was a virtue to kill Iwa shinobi and that he also said that he would make anyone in that village suffer as he had suffered and that he wanted them to know what pain and suffering felt like, in his eyes, there was nothing but hatred within them."

Sasuke also had wide eyes at the story as he never expected anyone to such a thing, even in-front of a child. He wondered how people could do such a thing to others, acts of cruelty that they believe as just. How could they have the will to do that to one another.

"But still, how can someone from our village think like that, everyone in the village loves each other like family, at least thats what the Sandiame says, they could never do any wrong to one another, but do they hate the other villager's simply because they were doing their duties, shinobi are weapons, weapons don't choose to kill but the one who wields them does, like what the Hokage said, do we really hate the other villages because they just happened to wrong them." spoke Naruto trying to wrap his head around the hatred in the world. "And he wasn't the only person, many other people in the hospital said something like that. Of how they lost their loved ones to other ninja, are shinobi fated to hate each other the moment they put on their head bands, do they just spread this thing called hatred."

"Maybe... forty percent of all shinobi in the village come from the clans, all the clans. The other sixty percent are shinobi who come from civilian families, my dad works with your mom from time to time, and I just happen to be listening to him when he talks about his work, he says that thirty five percent of all shinobi from the sixty percent that make up the number of our ninja join because of vengeance, mainly against the other villages and want to kill the person that killed their loved ones, the other twenty five percent join seeking glory and wealth from the life of ninja, yet they know nothing of what it's like. They're just the ones that spread hatred unwillingly while the other thirty five percent revel in spreading hatred." spoke Sasuke thinking sadly of such a thing and agreeing with Naruto of the hatred in the world. "Maybe it's instinct for humanity to hate each other, from what I've seen and heard, humans are the most cruel of beasts, I can't even remember why we waged the shinobi world wars, was there even a reason for it? I hear people talk about their lives, they understand each other and wish for their safety while out on missions and pray for their safe return, but when they talk about the other villages I hear nothing but anger for them, they just hate each other. And they actually like to kill each other."

"Dying for the sake of the village and family is what it means to be a shinobi, death can happen at any time." whispered Naruto contemplating his words. "Maybe hatred can't be erased, you can only erase the ones you hate. But I just know there is another way, maybe through cooperation and understanding as well as showing our true feelings can erase the hatred that people of created for each other, perhaps we can be friends with them. My mom says we can can accomplish anything through love and that the Will of Fire will help."

"Maybe we can never be honest with each other, maybe we can and possibly people don't hate you as much as you think. But even if we do things out of love, no one will take us seriously, right now we're just kids, what can we do against adults anyway." spoke Sasuke as he laid on his back and stared through the leaves of the trees. "I mean with power you can achieve anything, possibly a way to end hatred and all that, with power people will listen to you and will follow you."

"But you would be seen as a warmonger, people will listen to you out of fear, without intentions and ideals such as love people would only see you, as maybe a demon. A tyrant will be all they would see, without a positive motivation you would be nothing more than a iron fisted warlord." spoke Naruto to which Sasuke agreed reluctantly as what he was saying was true as if you don't do the things you do out of benevolence and love then you would be exactly as Naruto said. "The way I see it, for a permanent change to happen is the key, if it's temporary then the problem will only come back, right now what we're saying is petty words with nothing backing them."

"You need a conviction thats what, a promise, along with determination to not give up on those dreams and ideals. One that people will follow and accept, one that they can aspire to, but we need to attain strength and power none the world has seen, so people will take us seriously and not think we're some pushovers, no one follows a weakling, it's that simple." said Sasuke as he kept staring through the tree leaves thinking about how he could get even stronger than he was.

"You make a good point we'll just master jutsu and keep on mastering jutsu until we get strong enough where people would listen. Well we can always start at our weaknesses, train to overcome them, anything we're not good at we struggle to become good at, our faults and weaknesses would become a strengths." spoke Naruto raising his head toward his friend.

"Yeah, I don't have any weaknesses per say so it won't matter." siad Sasuke grunting his answer.

"Admitting you don't have weaknesses is admitting that you do have weaknesses and that you're insecure about them." said Naruto with a giggle making Sasuke pout as he was right. "But, lets make it our dream, to get strong so to erase all the hatred and fill it with nothing but love, people would finally understand one another and they won't have to spread hatred and we can cooperate with each other to bring about a permanent peace."

"I like that, if we get strong and cooperate we can do anything we set our minds to." said Sasuke sitting up from the rock.

"A promise and a dream." said Naruto as he held out his hand. To which Sasuke shook affirming their dream and desires. "Though you still have to work on that god-complex of yours."

"I DON'T HAVE A GOD-COMPLEX I TOLD YOU THAT ALREADY!"

Though Naruto wasn't listening as something seemed to have caught his attention. Sasuke turned his head to look at a dark figure behind him tumbling and falling over itself to get to the water. It had a sleek and furry body with black stripes and a white belly and it's fur was a dark grey though wasn't dark enough to hide the stripes, it had a long flexible tail and it had red eye and black claws.

It was a literal black tiger, though it was just a cub.

It was mewling as if it was wounded and battered. To which it was as it had cuts all over it's body, before it even reached the water it collapsed just inches away from the water, Sasuke seeing the cub got up off the rock and raced over to it and picked it up gently, Naruto followed after him only with a less fast pace.

"It's still alive." stated Sasuke as he cradled the small cat to his chest, the tiger was bigger than Tentō with Sasuke holding it in both of his hands.

"We should take it to the Inuzuka vets." said Naruto and both he and Sasuke raced out of the forest for the vets near the Inuzuka compound.

When they arrived they immediately treated the tiger of it's injuries. They also found out that the tiger was female and a rare breed of subspecies within the species. It's dark fur colour was part of it's anatomy and made it specifically deadly in darkness, the vet also estimated that the tiger would be massive in size when it grew to full adulthood, which was why it was a rare species as they were mainly hunted down like the dragons.

Sasuke being since he was the one he practically saved the tiger took responsibility for the cub and decided to raise it as it's own, since the bet also said that the tiger was young enough to mistake anyone as her parent.

* * *

So Sasuke returned to his clan compound carrying the purring bundle in his arms with many of his clan mates eyeing it with amazement. The Uchiha clan since their earliest ancestors have been likened to tigers. Because of their sharp eyes, deadly efficiency in hunting and killing, and their stripes hide themselves in the forest as if they were an illusion. The Uchiha have the Sharingan, a battle-sense and combat skill unrivalled, and like the tiger they could cast illusions as if they were stripes upon their skin.

The Uchiha's halls and respective grounds had various motifs of tigers and their prey. Sasuke wondered if his father would be proud of him for finding a tiger and probably raising it as his own child. The tiger in his arms then began to stir and it looked up toward the Uchiha with it's red eyes. And almost as if the two had known each other since the day they were born, the female tiger reared it's head and licked Sasuke's cheek, causing said boy to smile.

"I think I'll call you, Yochi." said Sasuke to which the cub agreed and licked Sasuke's cheek again in delight almost agreeing with the name it was given. Though Sasuke did wonder what had happened to Yochi's parents. Did they abandon her to die? Did she not have parents to begin with? Did it really matter at this point in time?

Deciding not to think such thoughts, Sasuke travelled to his home to present Yochi to Fugaku.

When Fugaku first laid eyes upon the tiger, he was unimpressed. It was only a baby, who could barely defend itself and who's claws couldn't pierce skin, he at first wanted to get rid of the creature by putting it out of his misery, although Sasuke pleaded with his father to allow the tiger to live. Though his words fell on deaf ears as Fugaku wouldn't heed his words.

If it wasn't for Itachi intervening by saying that the tiger represented the Uchiha most, it was a sign that it was meant to come to the Uchiha's possession, as the tiger' might was nearly unrivalled and since the tiger was an ancient symbol of the Uchiha it would be in the clan's best interest to keep Yochi as a sign to further the clans honour and glory. Fugaku listening to the words of his prodigious elder son, decided to spare Yochi on the condition that Sasuke would become entirely responsible for it. He would feed it himself, clean it himself, train it himself and if the tiger died, Sasuke would bury it himself.

The young Uchiha boy was beyond elated to hear that his friend would be spared and he began to teach the tiger and raise it as his own, it was discovered many things about the tiger, for one, she was incrrdibly loyal to Sasuke and her devotion was seen during the times when she would fetch Sasuke's shoes. She was also very passive but aggressive at the same time, she rested when she wanted too but aggressive to nearly everyone around her except of course Sasuke, Itachi and Mikoto. Yochi was also incredibly quiet as some times you wouldn't even know she was there. She wasn't very playful and didn't require a lot of care and was rather serious compared to Tentō. And unlike the dragon who was curious to the world around him, Yochi lacked any curiosity and just milled about doing nothing. But like the dragon, the tiger was beyond smart able to understand speech patterns and hand signals easily.

But still Naruto and Sasuke discovering those certain animals, was it fate or coincidence, were the animals reflections of themselves? All answers would come together eventually.

* * *

It was around a year later, with Naruto and Sasuke being six years old now that they were about to register for the academy, the parents had gone through all the paperwork and everything was handled perfectly.

It was an exciting day for the two boys who were determined to achieve their own personal goals of stepping out of their father's shadow (Naruto) and emerge from under his brother's eye (Sasuke). Even the teachers were excited about this year's line up of potential recruits into the shinobi corps, especially since they had high hopes for both Naruto and Sasuke as one was the son of the Yondaiem Hokage the greatest ninja to be produced in their village and the other was the younger brother of the prodigious Itachi Uchiha who showed the same potential as the Yondaime.

Tsunade and Fugaku were among the line up of eager parents as they watched their children take their first steps into becoming shinobi, although Fugaku was originally going to join Itachi for a mission which would help induct him into the ANBU but it was Sasuke's entrance ceremony and Itachi nearly had a change of heart, instead going to Sasuke's entrance ceremony than be a part of the mission.

Tsunade had come because she wouldn't miss this for the world, and she thought that the academy would be good for Naruto to see if he got over that problem of his, she had never have expected it, despite all the potential Naruto possessed, he was born with absolutely no talent, he hated it how people say he would be a prodigy like his father when he was in fact the opposite. Though that didn't stop him from being a shinobi, he struggled everyday to become stronger to improve himself and while his growth was slow there was no denying that Naruto was maturing at a faster rate than other children, and he also responds best with competition and he wasn't afraid to ask her for help when he needed it, maybe Naruto making friends would help with this stumbling block of his.

She then saw her former teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi walk before the lined up children and the parents who who gathered a bit away.

"Congratulations to all of you for entering the academy!" spoke Hiruzen with a happy smile seeing all the faces of the next generation of shinobi. Withinhis sight Sarutobi could see meany of the clan heirs especially one Naruto Senju. "Please devote yourselves fully to your road to becoming a ninja, and also give your full effort in supporting Konoha and all it stands for, believe in the Will of Fire ad it shall guide you through the dark and toward the light ." spoke Sarutobi, before leaving to go onwards to his Hokage duties not before giving Tsunade a warm goodbye.

Naruto ran over to his mother who hugged him tightly much to his embarrassment as eevryone was giggling at the blonde Senju.

"Thats him right?" said a boy who was staring at Naruto.

"Yeah, it is, Naruto Senju, great-grandson of the Shodaime and son of the Yondaime as well as heir to the Senju clan." spoke another boy who was eyeing Naruto.

"He's bound to be a genius, a prodigy, just like the rest of his clan and his father." whispered another boy.

"He's a hunk." said a girl with hearts in her eyes and she simply adored the whisker marks he had.

One girl in particular with bright pink hair looked over to see the boy who saved her form the bullies, she wasn't that surprised to see him since she had hoped that she would be in the same class as him, ever since he saved her form the bullies she couldn't stop thinking about him as he was interesting and she had hoped to meet him again some time. She believed that since he was the Senju heir who was also around his age he would be joining the academy the same time as her.

She smiled knowing that she could get close to probably her first friend.

Elsewhere one of the teachers was talking to Fugaku who was standing with Sasuke.

"Ah, this reminds of the good old days when Itachi entered the academy, they are brothers indeed, you're almost his spitting image." commented the teacher as he looked down upon Sasuke.

Fugaku smiled a little in appreciation. "Please look after him as you did with my older boy."

"It be my pleasure, although I don't think he'd need it, a genius like him. There'd be no other finer student than him other than Tsunade's little boy." although Fuagku lost his smile when Naruto was mentioned in the conversation and every now and so he would trade glances, eyeing the Senju boy.

"I thank you for the praise." said Fugaku adopting his smile once again.

"Don't worry, I'm expecting a lot from him in the coming years." said the teacher.

"Become a fine shinobi like your brother." said Fugaku as he looked down upon his younger son. Though Sasuke frowned at his father and his praise. He then looked over to Naruto who was with his mother who were also talking with teachers who were expecting great things from Naruto, but Sasuke could see that with each comment it would only hurt Naruto a little, as what they were saying, probably would never happen.

* * *

Later during that day, Naruto and Sasuke had settled into their new schedules in their lives. Both had found each other and were doing nothing but talk, which was strange to some of the other students who believed that there would be an intense rivalry between the two of them because of their clan's history.

Unknowingly to everyone in the room, the two partners in crime had smuggled in their respective animal friends, within Naruto's clothes Tentō was slithering around and Naruto had to constantly stop himself from twitching visibly because Tentō's claws tickled immensely. While Yochi was residing in Sasuke's clothes and didn't move around as much as Tentō. Both animals had grown over the coure of the year, Tentō could now wrap around Naruto's neck multiple times and Naruto would sometimes use him as a scarf and Tentō was much thicker now and he could barely hide within Naruto's robes now, While Yochi had grown a little and could barely sit atop Sasuke's head because of her size.

All the while their peers were whispering about them.

"Thats the Uchiha and Senju right?" said one of the boys behind Naruto and Sasuke.

"Yeah, no doubt. I wonder if they're really strong already." said the other boy.

"What are you kidding, they'll be amazing." said one of the boys.

Had enough of the their classmates whispers Naruto and Sasuke left to practice their shinobi skills, with Sasuke practicing with his shuriken and Naruto with his clans signature taijutsu, **Butō Ryū**.

* * *

Later when Naruto arrived home with Tentō wrapped around his neck, his mother had told him that he was ready to be recognised as an adult within the clan, she wanted Naruto perform the passing of age ritual so to give Naruto some more independence, as her doting nature greatly irked him. She would have done this later if it wasn't for Sarutobi reminding her that Naruto would need to become as strong as he could before he became an official genin as many of the nations would move against Naruto and Konoha once he left the village.

In the Senju clan, one becomes an adult, once they know half the moves to the **Butō Ryū**, can perform the clans signature genjutsu **Jōzō no Yama (Brew of the Mountain)** a genjutsu that envelops the target in a state of drunken bliss, having their greatest pleasures revealed to them along with ever flowing sake. And they can perform one nature transformation ninjutsu. As the Senju had natures connected to all of the five natures.

"So Naru-chan, I've yet to teach you **Jōzō** **no** **Yama** but we will come back to that later, right now I want to discover what nature your chakra is attributed to. We of the Senju clan have always had natures belonging to one of each of the five while other clans such as the Uchiha clan have predetermined natures, the Uchiha clan are predetermined to Fire and the Hōzuki clan are predetermined to water natures. I myself have Earth and Water, although I hardly ever use nature transformation." said Tsunade to which Naruto nodded to every word enthralled by what she was saying. Tsunade then pulled out a slip of paper from her haori and held it out in front of her. "We'll be using 'this' to discover what nature you have. Now pay attention, there are five basic natures of chakra. Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth and Water, each of the five great nations are named after these natures such as our own country the Land of Fire, they are the foundation of all ninjutsu and everything we learn as shinobi. Everyone's chakra mostly falls under one chakra, if you have Water nature than you can use Water nature and Lightning nature you can use Lightning, it's not a hard concept to understand."

"So wait, mom, you have two natures, Water and Earth." said naruto as he scratched his chin in thought.

"Once you become a Jōnin it isn't difficult to develop a second nature although it would be less powerful than your primary nature unless you train it well enough. This paper slip will allow us to know what your chakra nature is." continued Tsunade with her discussion of the chakra natures. She had gained a greater amount of patience from seemingly raising someone as hyper as her son which helped her in many situations.

"So how do we discover my nature?" queried Naruto trying to understand his mother. Tsunade merely help up her hand and stared at the piece of paper before crumbling away into dust.

"If you have an Earth nature like myself your paper will crumble and will become dust, Water nature it will become soggy and wet, a Fire nature it will burn and turn into ash, a Wind nature it will tear in two, and a Lightning nature it will wrinkle." explained Tsunade to which Naruto nodded his head at her in understanding. "These papers react to chakra, they come from a special tree that is grown with chakra, if you channel your chakra into the paper it will reveal your nature to you." said Tsunade as she took out another paper and handed it to Naruto would held it in his hand and looked at it for a few seconds.

Tsunade watched as Naruto channelled his chakra into the paper and the result honestly surprised her. The paper tore in two, revealing Naruto's chakra affinity is Wind. Which was quite rare in the Land of Fire since there weren't many Wind users around.

"So I have wind nature, don't I mom?" said Naruto as he kept staring a the torn sheet of paper.

"Thats right, now come on, it's time for you to learn your first jutsu." spoke Tsunade as she guided Naruto to their clans library. She explained that the Wind nature was perfect for battle, it could rip, tear and shatter anything within it's path and was perfect for close to mid-range attacks, but it had very little defence as it was mostly an offensive nature. Naruto only beamed at his mother's words and thought that his chakra nature was just awesome.

When they reached the library Tsunade found a nice and handy C-ranked Wind jutsu perfect for Naruto. **Fūton**: **Kamaitachi no jutsu (Wind Release: Sickle Weasel technique)** a C-ranked jutsu that created a gale of scathing wind that tore apart anything in it's path. Tsunade showed Naruto the handseals for it and instructed him on how how to manipulate his chakra by gathering it in his palms and forcing it out like a literal gust of wind. So she said that the jutsu was easier to perform with a fan Naruto just claimed that fans were for girls.

"Alright." said Naruto preparing himself to use the jutsu while his mother watched, they were currently in one of their clan training areas, a small field with neatly trimmed grass and tall trees.

'monkey-tiger-dog-rabbit-bird' thought Naruto as he cycled through the handseals. "**Fūton**: **Kamaitachi!**" yelled Naruto as he performed the jutsu, but he could only create a small gust that barely moved the grass two-feet in front of him.

Tsunade only kept her face neutral at the scene, she wasn't surprised and nor was she disappointed with the scene before her. She knew that Naruto possessed chakra reserves that surpassed genin level, even though he wasn't a genin to begin with, maybe it was because of the fact that he didn't have good chakra control, when she would teach Naruto chakra control exercises he struggled at it, maybe because he had too much chakra, perhaps that was the reason, though Tsunade had this nagging feeling that it wasn't the reason.

Naruto went through the handseals again to perform the jutsu although he was met with the same result. He would spend many hours under his mother's tutelage and instruction but it was to little progress. However Naruto was known for his immense determination and said he wouldn't stop until he mastered the jutsu.

Tsunade would wake up everyday, she went to Naruto's room to wake him up as it was early in the morning. But she discovered that he was absent from his (messy) room. She searched around the compound for her son worrying a little to what had happened to him.

She then heard the howling of wind coming from the training grounds and she found her son, in the same spot he was at last time trying to perform the jutsu again and again.

Tsunade was amazed to see that her son was still standing, she had believed that after the first few times Naruto would have dropped to the ground in exhaustion. But he was out for the entire night practicing that jutsu, she wondered where he got the stamina for such a thing, but quickly deduced that the Kyūbi must have had a hand in it. Although she was still enraged about the fact that Minato had sealed the fox into their son, she didn't doubt the positives of it as it's presence has done nothing but help Naruto by increasing his chakra reserves and stamina along with rejuvenation.

Tsunade also saw that Naruto had cuts on his hands however without Naruto noticing they would heal in a matter of seconds confirming her suspicions of the fox.

She knew that no amount of words would reason with her son when he had set his eyes on something, well maybe except a bowl of ramen. So she smiled and left for the kitchen and made her boy a bowl of ramen when he was hungry and she laid it out near his location when he wanted to rest from his training and also the laid out the scroll for the clan's genjutsu, **Jōzō** **no** **Yama **when he wanted to learn the technique, Naruto was humble and if he wanted help he would always ask for it and he seemed content with doing everything on his own.

And she also knew, that Minato and Naruto had more in common than she thought.

* * *

Near the Uchiha compound, by a lake with a small dock, was the head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha with his youngest son Sasuke Uchiha. Like how Tsunade was instructing Naruto on their clan's right of passage technique, Fugaku Uchiha was about showcase the clan signature jutsu so to pass on the technique to Sasuke who would master it to become an adult of the clan.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū** **no** **jutsu (Fire release: Great Fireball technique)!**" said Fuagku as he spewed out a large ball of roaring flame across the water amazing Sasuke at the sheer heat and power behind the technique.

"This is a key technique of our clan, I have already shown you the handseals, you need to knead chakra in your stomach convert it into fire and force up through the chest and out the mouth. Now you try it." said Fuagku as he stared down upon Sasuke with his piercing eyes.

"Right." said Sasuke as he stood in front of Fugaku read to test the technique. 'fathers acutally teaching me the jutsu itself. He's finally giving me the chance of showing that he has more than one brilliant son.' thought Sasuke as he cycled through the handseals for the clans jutsu.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū** **no** **jutsu!**" roared Sasuke as he blew out the jutsu, though the effect wasn't as grand or as powerful as his father's, he could only produce a small flame that was minuscule in size and only barely hot. His father sighed at the result, disappointed in his younger son, and expecting him to be a great genius like his older brother.

"Why did I think you'll be anything like Itachi." said Fuagku as he walked away leaving a saddened Sasuke with a broken look on his face. "It's too soon, you're not ready yet."

His words would leave an impact on Sasuke as the boy would always remember his father's words about the clan. So instead of giving up and waiting later, Sasuke persevered and trained through the week from dawn till dusk until he mastered the jutsu he was training in. although he did receive burns around his mouth and on his cheeks, to which his own mother Mikoto Uchiha helped with. So during the course of a week, Sasuke practiced the technique on the same dock everydya, each time is flame getting larger and more powerful then before.

By the time it had reached it's greatest height. He went directly to his father.

"Father!" yelled Sasuke to his father when he saw the Uchiha head walking through their house. "Just once more, come and watch me." said Sasuke as he panted a little from the running.

"I told you already that it's too soon for you to learn. If I taught you for a week and it would do nothing." commented Fugaku who looked like he had better things to do than spend time with his younger son.

"No, I just want you to watch me." replied Sasuke with a fierce pride in his eyes. Fuagku raised his eyebrows at his youngest and finally took note of the scuff marks and burns around his mouth.

So now they were standing at the same dock that Sasuke would come to to practice his Fire release jutsu. The one he had been training at for a week now.

Sasuke without saying any words to his father nor even looking his way cycled through the handseals the technique was known for with his father's watchful gaze upon him.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!**" raored Sasuke as he breathed out a perfect orb of seething hot flames out towards the water on the lake with Fugaku widening his eyes in amazement at the progress of his youngest son at having mastered the jutsu in a week when it would take a few months for anybody else to learn it, exemplified the fact that his son was a prodigy and was recognised as a true member of the Uchiha clan who could walk around the village with their clan crest on their back.

Sasuke ended the jutsu where steam could be seen evaporating form the water's surface because of the heat from the technqiue. The young boy turned to his father with a smile while Fugaku stuffed his rihgt hand into his robe and turned around and left the area without saying a word and without looking at his son, depressing the young boy.

"Now then... thats my boy." said Fugaku who stopped his stride on the dock, surprising Sasuke with his comment and breaking him from his depressed state. "You've done well... work hard and you're bound to soar high and bring honour to that crest you wear on your back." continued the had of the Uchiha clan making his son smile at the praise he was given. "I will say one thing... From now on walk you own path and not in the footsteps of your brother ."

With that said Fuagku returned to the Uchiha compound, leaving Sasuke alone to ponder his words.

* * *

Later that day, Naruto and Sasuke met up at the river they would always hang out at. Sasuke was there first as he liked being punctual while Naruto arrived a few minutes later. They extended their usual greeting which was in-fact a fist bump, they had invented it as a way of knowing who was the other, as both boys always put up their fists at exactly the right time, just to be sure they weren't being impersonated which was superstition on their part.

"Hey Sasuke, do you want to see this wicked jutsu I mastered not too long ago." said Naruto with stars in his eyes as this was the perfect chance to show up his rival in something.

"Uhh sure." said Sasuke as he crossed his arms and stared at his best friend.

"**Oiroke no jutsu (Sexy technique)!**" yelled Naruto as he made the handseal for the jutsu. And in a puff of smoke Naruto was replaced with an attractive young girl with two yellow pigtails, three whiskers on each of her cheeks, blue eyes and stark naked like the day she was born, with thin clouds just barely covering her private 'areas' and standing in a seductive pose.

The transformed Naruto winked seductively at Sasuke where a pink heart appeared randomly a and the last of the clouds to disperse revealing all of her naked glory.

Sasuke just stared at his transformed best friend with no look on his face but with the tiniest hint of a blush that was near invisible to the naked eye.

Naruto then transformed back into his original form. "So how was that?!" with excitement laced in his voice.

"It's a near useless jutsu." spoke Sasuke as he stared at Naruto with a confused look on his face.

"What! It's perfect in every detail, I swear men will be dying once they see my new technique." said Naruto with an exasperated look on his face at what Sasuke said.

"They'll be dying once they see how useless it is." said Sasuke with a snort not impressed with Naruto's new 'ability'.

"Then we'll go to the hot springs and find shall we." said Naruto as he gripped the back of Sasuke's collar and began dragging him to the hot springs where Jiraiya would sometimes take him for his 'research trips'.

When they finally made it to the public paths of the villaeg, Sauke merely raised his eyebrow at the scene and question why Naruto literally dragged him to the place. To which the blonde replied that he would see.

So now they were sitting in the male version of the hot springs dipping themselves in the water. And there were a few other men with them such as a white haired man with red lines running down his face ("Cough" Jiraiya "Cough").

"Get ready." said Naruto sitting in the water with a cloth on his head and an evil smile on his face. "**Oiroke no Jutsu!**" yelled naruto as he performed the signature technique.

Later over a two dozen men were admitted to the hospital for chronic nose bleeds and perverted grins and needed blood transfusions and donations in order for them to survive, Jiraiya especially suffered greatly once Tsunade found at he was peeping at the hot springs again, to which Jiraiya was just a fleshy lump sitting on a table with Sarutobi shaking his head at him. But this time Jiraiya wasn't alone as there was another fleshy lump next to him which had a head of blonde hair, after his mother had discovered the divine power of the **Oiroke no jutsu**. Although Tsunade didn't pulverise Naruto the tongue lashing she gave him was equal in strength to the beating Jiraiya gave where he melted into a fleshy lump also with Sasuke shaking his head at him saying 'I told you it was as bad idea'. The **Oiroke no jutsu**, while brilliant was labelled kinjutsu and would never see the light of day again.

So it was just anther day in the lives of everyone in the village.

* * *

Meanwhile the floating spirit of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki watched the water, staring into it, his metallic purple eyes were focused on the two boys in the water, He could clearly see the chakra of his two son's, clinging tightly to Naruto and Sasuke, although he was surprised at first, most if not all of Asura and Indra's reincarnations were always, almost in conflict with one another, excluding Hashirama and Madara as their relationship ultimately ended in conflict.

"So it's begun." spoke the old man as he kept staring into the water, watching Naruto and Sasuke with sad eyes, missing his children greatly.

**Hey guys wow a long chapter, I hope you like it, So Naruto and Sasuke meet for the first time, I wanted to make it similar to how Hashirama and Madara met but with differences. and we saw Sakura for the first time, now no romantic development will happen between the two until Naruto becomes a genin. And I do hope you like Tento and Yochi. if you're wondering, two thirds of the Story will focus on Naruto while the other third will focus on Sasuke and yeah, Naruto has no talent for a shinobi, seeing as how Asura didn't have any talent I wanted to give Naruto the same thing but he won't be weak by all means. check my profile for dancing dragon temple, scroll and what Tento and Yochi look like, although they'll appear as adults.**

**Juubiwriter99 is down and out**


	6. Blood

**Rebirth of the Two Sons**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Blood**

The village was quiet, nothing could be heard but the wind blowing the leaves of the trees that dotted the village and the landscape. People were frolicking about enjoying their lives without cares and worries, a peaceful paradise that all could enjoy, no one in the village was cruel to the other, they weren't by means nasty or prejudiced, they weren't turning a blind eye to the ones who needed it. Their eyes were only reserved for the people who had earned their love and respect. The Will of Fire was shining brightly in the hearts of the people and all were enjoying their time they had with their loved ones and friends. There was little pain in the village replaced only with the pleasures that life had.

Even the Hot springs was free of perverts and other unsavoury people. Less wounded and sadness came from the hospital, thanks to the aid of the village's head medic, Tsunade Senju, head of the Senju clan of a thousand hands, and chief medic of the village, and mother of the village's most notorious 'criminal'. The Inuzuka were breeding more dogs and adding their clan members to tracking teams which has greatly uplifted the stress of the criminals who were escaping justice, The Uchiha police force led by Fugaku Uchiha had been hard at work at decreasing the amount of crimes in the village and catching the guilty parties hidden among the people, although they have been rather aggressive in their duties. The Hyūga clan have been deploying front line forces and have been aiding in the military strength of the village along with Hagoromo, Kohaku, Iburi, Sarutobi, Shimura, Fūma, Kurama, Akimichi and Aburame clans while the Yamanaka and Nara forces have been contributing to the intel division and interrogation of the village as well as the coordination of the village's forces.

Right now the village had fully recovered from the attack of the Kyūbi seven years ago. Though the beast itself was stewing in a prison within a boy's body, that boy being the most famous prankster of the village, Naruto Senju. Tsunade in the years has had trouble controlling Naruto as he was just as rambunctious and full of energy as he was when he was a toddler. The boy who had never been truly noticed by the people as he was the son of the Yondaime and great-grandson of the Shodaime. The boy as a way of seeking attention had resorted to pranks and jokes among the village, though the pranks never hurt anyone and were just a bit of silly fun and it sometimes made his mother laugh at what he did.

Naruto along with his partner's in crime, Sasuke Uchiha and their respective companions the dragon, Tentō, the white light, and the tiger Yochi, the black shadow. The two (mostly Naruto) would go around pranking the villager's, well it was more like Naruto pranking them and Sasuke tagging along and the one the blame was mostly pinned, from painting the Hyūga's underwear pink, orange and yellow, to dropping stink bombs right on top of passing by Inuzuka's and stealing the food from the Akimichi's and replacing them with just tofu, the most hated enemy of the Akimichi's, only to return the food later on when they had their fun though they would leave them the gift of taking the oreo's (the biscut) cream filling and replacing it with toothpaste, the unhappy cries coming from the Akimichi were sometimes too much for Naruto and Sasuke to handle.

They were criminals in a way, as sometimes they would prank other people such as hiding alarm clocks in people's (Jiraiya's) room and set for 3:00 am in the morning. Filling people's hair dryers with baby powder and watch the chaos happen. Placing a 'house for sale' sign in front of someone's house, leading many to walk into and stand by the house inspecting it. Sometimes stupid things such as they took objects from the Hokage such as pen and paper while leaving a ransom note, or changing into multiple sets of clothes and acting like nothing happened, confusing people, hiding food in trash can and when someone came by the take the food out of the can and eat it front of people, switching the push and pull signs on doors.

But their best prank would be the time that they never pranked anyone, they left a poor unlucky sap (Jiraiya) a cryptic note saying they were going to be pranked later in the day, so they watched Jiraiya walk around the village with sweat on his neck and with teeth chattering expecting someone (Naruto) to prank him, but the funny part was they never pranked him, it was just funny watching him act that way.

Although both boys would never skip classes and only prank others when they had the time.

Mikoto and Tsunade often wondered if the two boys were just human batteries, they were just so full of energy that they could power the entire village if you connected them to an electrical pole.

But at the moment, Naruto with his accomplice and friendly dragon friend, Tentō were currently outside the village hot springs, planning their newest prank. Sasuke and Yochi at the moment were back at their clan compound practicing their taijutsu and coordinated attacks with each other. Naruto sneakily grinned to his dragon to which the dragon also tried to grin but to no avail and was about to execute his mastermind plan that only a fool could fail at.

"Alright, Tentō, you know what to do." said Naruto with a large grin to which Tentō tried to force the equivalent of a grin only to fail miserably, again. With that said Tentō slithered away and kept low to the ground making his way to the entry points for both the male and female hot springs.

With the plan now in action Tentō snuck up to the signs that identified the Hot springs and plucked the individual and different signs from their places and carefully replaced them with their opposite sign and flew back to Naruto where he perched on his master's shoulders. So now the female sign was above the door to the male hot spring and the male sign was above the door to the female hot spring.

Naruto tried to hold back his laughter at his ingenious thinking and his cunning mind. He grinned maliciously at the prospects of the prank and was saddened a little that Sasuke wasn't here to join him and he too would find it... amusing. Smirking like an evil genius who had the epiphany of world domination through some kind of over-extravagant plan he looked behind a corner to see his godfather Jiraiya who was visiting the village for a while, the self proclaimed super-pervert was currently writing down notes on his pad, probably thinking up ideas for his next book.

With phase two of the plan now underway Naruto ducked behind the corner and made a handseal for one of the most basic jutsu in the world, one even he could master.

"**Henge no jutsu (Transformation technique)!**" and in place of Naruto a beautiful brunette with blue eyes wearing casual clothing was standing in his place with a ratehr sizable bust that was barely held back with the casual shirt she was wearing. The disguised Naruto walked around the corner to which Jiraiya immediately focused his attention on with big eyes and a quivering lip.

Naruto under his persona, winked seductively at the pervert to which Jiraiya had a small trickle of blood leaking from his nose and a noticeable blush to appear on his face, Naruto then walked into the Hot Springs with Jiraiya trailing after 'him' who had drool leaking from his mouth.

Naruto then ducked into the 'female' Hotsprings which actually led to the male Hot spring. Jiraiya knowing he couldn't follow walked into the 'male' Hot spring so to bore out a hole between the bamboo barrier blocking the two genders.

When Naruto walked into the hot spring he discarded his clothing and disguise of course and dunked himself into the water with Tentō swimming around, squeaking in delight at the feeling of the warm liquid against his scales. Naruto in the meantime waited for the sweetest music in the world to which he was chuckling like a mad man, oh yeah today was a good day indeed.

When Jiraiya walked into the Hot spring ready to do his 'research', I think we all know what kind of research he was unaware of the danger he was walking into. When he closed the door behind he was giggling like a schoolgirl and grinning like a child on Christmas. When he turned around to begin his research the first thing that happened was he had a chronic nose bleed at the sight before him, multiple naked women who were each staring at him, their eyes like knives drilling into his skin.

And in response bright red flames appeared all around their forms and their eyes went black and each pulled out a deadly and dangerous weapon from the water, from knives, axes, swords, bows and arrows, spears, flails, well anything sharp really. Only upon seeing the weapons did Jiraiya's brain reboot to register what was happening.

Seeing all the lethal women Jiraiya with his danger senses tingling, high-tailed it out of there so to not be killed, or worse, castrated, he then screamed like a small girl with all the women chasing after him through the village, of course wearing towels.

Naruto meanwhile was laughing his ass off in the male Hot spring, the success of the prank went off without a hitch and nothing was making him happier, he wiped away a tear of joy from his eye and left the hot spring, not before placing the signs back to their original location.

* * *

So now he was walking back to his compound where his loving mother would be waiting for him and he found her waiting at the gate of their compound. However instead of the sweet and smiling Tsunade he was usually accustomed to, instead was the roaring flames of righteous female fury of that which was his mother, She seemed to be standing ten feet tall with glowing red eyes and flames flickering off her form and scorching the ground she was standing on.

"Heh, heh, hey mom." said Naruto nervously as he scratched the back of his head and with beads of sweat rolling down the back of his neck and his hairs were standing up on end while his form got all the more smaller while in her presence. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine, but I heard the strangest thing when I saw Tentō flying around the hot springs, and you know that I know that Tentō never leaves your side, so, what were you doing at the hot springs?" She asked all sweet like which belied a darker, more sinister intent. Naruto was sweating a little but tried to control himself so not to show any signs of weakness which would certainly mean his doom.

"Just teaching ero-sennin a lesson." spoke Naruto carefully while his mother's angry eyes kept staring him into the ground, Tentō meanwhile had ducked and taken cover behind Naruto so to also not suffer the wrath of Tsunade Senju. And Tsunade along with Naruto just kept staring at the other, the two never flinching, one from her iron will and the other from inherent fear. Throughout the exchange Naruto had difficulty maintaining eye contact with his mother as her glare could quite possibly cut mountains in half. And the one thing that was certain to him throughout his short life, never piss off his mother, as it always tended to have, deadly consequences.

Soon the righteous flames around Tsuande began to settle and her eyes devolved back into their sweet warmth, Naruto literally had to hold back a sigh of relief, whenever his mother punished him it wasn't the usual timeout or being sent to a corner, it was called 'punishment training' and whatever training Naruto was doing he would have to triple it in intensity, especially if it was his mother's dodge training as she threw nearly just about anything at him.

"Well good, that'll teach the pervert not to go peeking for some time." said Tsunade who smiled at her son. Both parties along with the small dragon, walked into the clan compound. Today for Tsuande it felt like an important day for her and her son, she would have to guide him into knowing how to rule over a clan and act as the head, as it was her duty so shall it be Naruto's once he came of age. It used to be in the Senju, a more archaic and strength based moarchy, if you wanted to lead, you would have to have been the strongest, this constitution was soon abolished shortly after the village was created and was replaced by an absolute monarchy within the clan, through specific bloodlines within said clan, Hashirama's bloodline established the heir apparent legislation and his descendants have ruled the clan ever since, starting with Tsunade's father then moving onto Tsunade who would pass on the role to, of course, her only child.

But there was a special room, containing memento's of their clan.

"Naru-chan, please come with me." spoke Tsunade who was still walking with her son. Naruto gave his mother a puzzled look and decided not to question her as he followed her through the clan compound. They kept passing by doors and rooms which only served to confuse the Senju heir as to their destination. Whatever his mother had in store for him, he could feel that it would somehow give him an understanding of what it would be as the head of the clan, even though there were only two members left, it wasn't much of a clan.

When they made it to their destination, all Naruto saw a large door that obviously led to a room, when his mother pressed her hand into the centre of the door and releasing some of her chakra the door slid opened and the sound of refined concrete grinding against a tough surface was all that was heard.

When they walked in they immediately were beholden to the sight of multiple stone statue's spiralling around the area, each was different as it differed from gender to appearance. But each was unique that each person had different features that identified them but each one was using the dragon handseal, there wasn't one who wasn't using the seal.

Naruto took the time to look at each statue observing their unmoving and hard faces, he felt something, in this room, it reverberated through the walls and resounding off the statues, somehow this place, gave off a very strange feeling, something which he hardly felt before and it amazed him to no end. He then turned to his mother who walked towards a statue. He then noticed that the room spiralled downwards where more statures were lined into the walls and like before they were casting the dragon handseal.

He then joined his mother who was still staring at the same statue, upon closer inspection he noticed that it was a statue of his great-grandfather, Hashirama Senju, although the statues were colourless aside from the colour that the stone was made from. His ancestor was wearing the standard shinobi dress of that era consisting of armour, similar to that of the samurai, constructed from numerous metal plates formed into multiple protective guards that bore their clan symbol. He had long hair that reached his waist and he was wearing the hitai-ate of the village.

But like his mother, he was drawn, to the statue for some reason, he had seen the face of his great-grandfather many times, it was on a mountain after all. But this time there was something else, it felt familiar. In fact everything in the room felt familiar.

"This room was created to house the statues of our previous clan heads, to honour them even after their deaths." spoke Tsunade as she kept staring at the statue of her grandfather fondly remembering the man before his untimely passing. "Each statue within this room was created for exemplary clan heads of the Senju, some of the greatest shinobi of their times and among the most treasured in the clan. Although we stopped making the statue's after my grandfather's death."

Though she soon noticed that her son wasn't listening to her as he was too ingrained in interest of the statue. He just stared blankly into his ancestor's eyes and he seemed to notice a certain twinkle in them, it almost felt like he knew his great-grandfather, Hashirama Senju, almost as much as he knew himself.

"Is everything, alright Naru-chan." asked Tsunade as she placed a soft hand on her son's shoulder which made him jolt a little from the contact.

"Yeah, it's just I have this weird feeling." said Naruto as he looked up at his mother making her raise an eyebrow at him, mainly in curiosity with a hint of concern.

"It's just. I feel like I know them somehow." spoke Naruto which made Tsunade narrow her eyes a little at what he was saying. Did Naruto somehow feel a connection for people he had never met before, granted they were from the same clan and were kinsmen it would have been near impossible for Naruto to know these people. Deciding to move the subject along, Tsunade was going to introduce the three clan heads before her grandfather's time, three who were revered within the Senju clan for their bravery and might.

They walked up to the statue closest to Hashirama's. It was of a slender and youthful woman with wide eyes and combed hair which reached waist-length and was worn in a long braid down the front of her body, like her successor, Hashirama, she wore the standard dress of those times, consisting of overlapping armour, although hers was slender and more fit for agility and she had a long obi tired around her waist.

"This Naru-chan is-" though she was cutoff by her son who informed her of the woman's name.

"Retsu Senju." said Naruto with a smile as he somehow recognised the statue of the woman. Tsunade then looked back at the statue and noticed that there was no writing anywhere, so it was impossible to know who it was before hand unless you read up on her.

"That's right Naru-chan." said Tsunade forcing a smile to which Naruto didn't notice, the smile hid her more cautious and curious side, as to how Naruto knew of the person in-front of him, he was never really bothered to learn the names of the clan heads. They then moved on to the next staue.

The next statue was of a man who was easily the largest in the room, the statue stood and 9'4 ft tall and the statue easily towered over the small body of Naruto who had to strain his head just to look the statue in the eyes. The statue belonged to a man with shoulder-length hair with a single lock hanging in-front of his face with wolf-like ears. He wore rounded armour around his shoulders and armour plating on his torso.

"And this is-" started Tsunade but again she was cutoff by her son who spoke out the name of the old Senju clan head.

"Sajin Senju." spoke Naruto as he was craning his neck at the statue, this time, Tsunade didn't smile like before, she only watched as her son stared at the statue. Like before there was no writing on the statue and there was little to no information on Sajin Senju as most of the records about him were destroyed during a horrible war between the Senju and their rivals the Uchiha.

They continued on to the last statue they were going to inspect with Tsunade watching her son through the corner of her eye.

The last statue was of a woman of average height with a slender build. She had waist-length hair that was tied into a ponytail with bangs framing her face and covering her ears. She wore a sleeveless haori shirt with hakama pants tied with an obi with arm warmers climbing up her from her knuckles to her biceps.

"Thats Yoruichi Senju." stated Naruto again knowing the name of the clan head without having any prior source of knowledge, it was strange to her, how Naruto could know these people as if they were life-long friends of his. It didn't add up, this little field trip was to only educate and give a hint towards Naruto's future life as head of the Senju clan, it was a custom in the clan to learn of the previous heads when you near the age to take up the mantle of the head, yet here he was, seven years old and already knowing the names of the former clan heads when he had no prior knowledge of them.

She was going to have to look but there was a question that must be confirmed no matter what.

"Naru-chan, how do you know these people?" questioned Tsunade as she stared down at her son, who turned to look at her with a slightly confused expression.

"Well, I don't know, I just do, it's like, I'm connected to them." spoke Naruto as he looked back at the statue of Yoruichi which had the same glint in it like the statue of Hashirama. What he said, he knew all of them yet he didn't know how, it almost felt like he was connected to them through one life, different people, same living being. "Hey mom, can I stay here for a while longer and check out the statues?"

Tsunade closed her eyes in response contemplating the question, it wouldn't hurt and besides she wanted to learn more of Naruto's 'connection' to the past clan heads.

"Ok, just don't stay too long." spoke Tsunade as she left the room, occasionally giving her son a backwards glance.

With that said, Naruto began exploring the room, examining all the statues, there were so many that Naruto couldn't count them all, he then found a staircase leading downwards into the room and below the ground, the room must have been hollowed out at some point so to encompass all the statues, further and further he went down into the labyrinth of statues, he new that all ends must have beginnings so he was slightly determined to find the statue of the first Senju clan head.

For what felt like forever he finally made it to the bottom of the room and to the end of the line of statues. And finally he made it to the last one where he gasped in awe.

This certain statue unlike all the rest was made of wood instead of stone, it had been fractured and decayed over time and any paint that was on the wooden statue faded over time, giving it a light brown colour. From what he could observe from the statue was the man had short, probably, spiky hair with what appeared to be two two locks framing the sides of his face. And he had something wrapped around his forehead, probably depicting a cloth. He also wore what appeared to be a high collared kimono with near faded magatama around the collar and wore a sash. The face of the statue was indiscernible and was impossible to see the face, the hands and most of the arms of the statue was missing and broken. But the most unique thing about the statue was the large figure standing behind the wooden man. Like the wooden man, the figure was made of wood and it's hands and most of it's arms were broken and fractured, like the man's face it's face was shaved away and no longer interpretable though the large figure had three heads instead of the natural one head and three arms, two to the side, two pointing to the ground and two bringing their hands together, it wore a long flowing robe with jewellery across it's chest and a halo ling ring behind it's head.

But the strangest thing about the statue was not what you could see, Naruto just kept staring at the statue, never removing his eyes from it, it was strange, but it almost felt like he was, looking at himself. As this statue felt more like a statue of himself than the person it was meant for. He couldn't explain it to himself and he doubted he could explain it to others.

Deciding now was the perfect time to leave, Naruto left the temple room and spared a glance at the wooden statue behind him, which had the same twinkle in it's eye that the previous statues had.

* * *

Meanwhile Tsunade was having a conversation with none other than Danzō Shimura who had rudely arrived unannounced to speak with her in private, Tsunade couldn't stand the man's presence, not only had he put a target on her son's head by leaking her initial pregnancy throughout the world but now he had the sheer audacity to come even near her presence and for the past half hour she had heard nothing but criticism from him, especially in regards as to how she raised Naruto.

"As I'm sure the Sandaime has told, years ago I created a subdivision within the ANBU black ops a special training subdivision for new recruits, while it has no 'official' name it has been called the Foundation or ROOT." spoke Danzō as he hobbled on his cane while walking with Tsunade, they were passing by the small pond where Naruto was presently playing with Tentō. Danzō opened his eye ever so discreetly to look at the boy more closely, there was little doubt that Naruto Senju was practically a mini-clone of his father.

"Hiruzen-sensei has spoken about it as a passing comment, but we both know that you're not here simply for a courtesy call." spoke Tsunade as she stopped walking and turned to face Danzō.

"Astute, ROOT is currently searching for potential recruits, several clans from the Yamanaka, Aburame and Kohaku have already handed over some of their members to undergo training under ROOT. I have full jurisdiction and authority from the Hokage." spoke Danzō with his slippery tongue like a snake. "I wish for your son, Naruto Senju to also be a recruit for ROOT."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes in anger and disgust.

"No." stated Tsunade bluntly which made Danzō fornw for just a split second.

"You, misunderstand hime, I can conscript Naruto with or without your permisssion, Naruto will become a ROOT agent where he can live to his full potential as a weapon of Konoha."

"_My son is no weapon_." snarled Tsunade with almighty hell look in her eyes. "_Leave._"

"The Sandaime has given me permission to take those who I believe to have potential. For the good of the village." spoke Danzō trying to prove his point to Tsunade, hoping that she would see his point of view and to rip Naruto away from her foolish teachings where he can be raised 'properly'.

"You'll be dead before you even lay a hand on Naruto, go, go and talk to the Sandaime, as a clan heir, only he has the power to take Naruto from me. This is discussion is over _Danzō_." spat Tsunade to which Danzō narrowed his eyes and sent a sneer toward Naruto before taking his leave, cursing Tsunade mentally, he would do what she said, he would take the matter to the Sandaime, later during the week, for now he had more 'important' errands.

* * *

The next day at the Konoha academy, the children, aspiring to be the arm of the Hokage and the shield of the village. But at the moment they were chatting with their friends and comrades, at the moment it seemed that gossip was more important to them than their growing skill as shinobi. The girls were fawning over boys while the boys were hoping to impress the girls. Many of the children who were a the academy were form the prominent clans of the village, unlike the other children who joined for glory, honour and riches, the clan heirs and members were either forced or joined of their own free will so to defend their village.

The two most notorious students in the class were currently sitting at a desk in the corner, they were currently discussing their training or the pranks they would pull after class, Sasuke was already at the top of the class in every field, many knew that he would be the rookie of the year without a doubt, his skills were too advanced for him to be anything less. However, Naruto was a different subject, while many who joined the academy expected Naruto to be the absolute best in the class because of his lineage, their hopes and expectations were dashed when it was revealed that Naruto was nothing more than a loser with little to no talent for a ninja, and now it was apparent to them that Naruto was to be the dead-last of the academy.

Therefore, some of the children would slightly bully the boy and berate him for his disappointing talents and they picked on him even more when he said his dream was to be Hokage, they merely responded that 'no way a loser could become Hokage' or a 'disgrace to the Senju name'. Although Tentō wold bite them on the asses and they would learn their lesson for a time.

Now though, Naruto and Sasuke were discussing what they would do for the day. Two of the girls in the room currently had their eyes trained on the blonde Senju heir. One had pink hair and emerald eyes with a red-ribbon through her hair while the other had dark blue hair and pale lavender eyes and was currently pressing her two index fingers together with a small blush on her face.

They were Hinata Hyūga and Sakura Haruno respectively. Sakura ever since that time that Naruto saved her has had growing feelings for the blonde Senju, although they were small and not serious at the moment, it was basically a crush, whether it turned into something more remained to be seen. Ever since meeting Naruto and Ino, Sakura had grown to be more confident in herself, bold and outspoken. She even had gained a slightly deadly temperament as shown as when her friends would be bullied she would beat the bullies almost to death, especially when it came to Naruto and Ino.

Sakura also knew what Naruto liked in girls from all the gossip circulating the academy, Sakura trained hard for Naruto to notice her and she wasn't like all the other girls who focused on their looks and not their skills, plus Naruto tended to like natural opposed to done-up beauty, so she believed she had nailed that part.

At that moment, the teacher of the class, Iruka Umino walked in, with a schedule of what was going to happen that day.

"Alright class, settle down." said Iruka with a smile only to see that his class did the exact opposite of what he said as they just kept on talking causing a tickmark to appear on Iruka's forehead. "QUIET DOWN YOU NEANDERTHALS!" that shut everyone up as they all had their eyes trained on him.

"Good, now class, today we will be learning about the Kyūbi attack and the Yondaime's role within it." spoke Iruka as he took a piece of chalk and started writing on the board. Naruto hearing of his words frowned a little at his words, which Sasuke saw who grimaced a little at his expression. Naruto's father died that day forcing the blonde to grow up without his father. This was not going to be a good lesson for the Senju heir.

"Now, over seven years, at the end of the Third Shinobi World War, on October 10th the Kyūbi no Yōko attacked the village, it was only thanks to the honourable Yondaime Hokage that he was able to kill the beast in single combat, sparing and saving all of us." his frown disappering, Naruto raised his eyebrows his teacher's words. His father was able to kill the Kyūbi, Naruto took out his history book and opened to the page on his great-grandfather the Shodaime Hokage.

When he found the correct page he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. His ancestor's battle with the co-founder of the village. Madara Uchiha. It said, that Madara was able to acquire the power of the Kyūbi and used it's ferocious power against his great-grandfather, who was able to defeat Madara and the Kyūbi. But there was one thing that was bothering him, if his great-grandfather was reputed as the most powerful shinobi who lived, then how come he wasn't able to kill the Kyūbi when his father although who strong wasn't as strong as Hashirama, could.

Naruto began suspecting that what Iruka-sensei told him may be wrong. He would have to investigate more.

"Ok everyone, head outside so we can practice with shuriken." said Iruka making Naruto close his book and follow everyone outside.

Now all the students were in one big group with their teacher out in front of them ready to instruct.

"Alright class, today I'll give you six shuriken and all you have to do is hit the post, that simple." spoke Iruka as he held a cliboard. "Now I'll need someone to demonstrate." at his words all of Sasuke's fangirls started cheering his name much to the ire of said boy. "Ok, Sasuke, can you please demonstrate."

With that Sasuke nodded with his hands in his pockets. Iruka gently handed him the shuriken and Sasuke got into the respective stance. And in a swift movement Sasuke unleashed all the shuriken and all the weapons hit their mark, everyone awed in wonder at Sasuke's prodigious talent, even Naruto was envious of his best friend's talent and abilities, however that only strengthened his determination to equal and maybe surpass Sasuke, however Naruto was never bitter towards his best friend, only taking things in stride.

"Alright, next, Shino please come forward." spoke Iruka towards the Aburame clan heir who looked at him indifferently.

"Iruka-sensei, that is a inappropriate choice, why? Because we of the Aburame clan, rely and specialise on the Kikaichu housed within our bodies during battles." spoke Shino as some of his insects came crawling up his neck and face spooking anyone in their vicinity and making some people queasy.

"Alright Shino." said Iruka a little depressed at his student. "Next, Naruto." with those words the class started giggling a little, obviously being snide about Naruto's talents and abilities.

When said blonde walked up, Iruka handed him the shuriken and Naruto got intot he same stance as Sasuke had done and fired off his shuriken at the same time only it was met with a vastly different response. Only one of the shuriken was able to ht the post, just barely and it looked like it was about to fall off at any moment, the other five were scattered across the field and one of the five impaled into a tree only a few inches from Iruka's head.

With that Naruto had a mixture of a mortified and shocked expression while Iruka had a look of comical fear on his face at nearly being killed in an instant because of Naruto's clumsiness. With that said all the students in the class with only a select few started laughing at Naruto as if he was the funniest thing in the world.

"Look at that Akamaru, he barely got a single hit!" laughed Kiba as he pointed towards the blonde while everyone else laughed along with the Inuzuka.

"hahaha, I was just joking, you know it was a joke." laughed Naruto to which everyone around him stopped laughing as they didn't believe what he was saying. It was so quiet you could hear the sound of the wind.

"Naruto, it appears as if you're going to have to train harder and take your studies more seriously." spoke Iruka with a frown, created from the scene he just witnessed. Naruto gritted his teeth and clenched his right fist a little at what his teacher was saying, although he didn't know it, Iruka was wrong, Naruto trained his ass off everyday trying to improve himself to become stronger, he did take his studies seriously as he always sought ways to improve himself.

With that said, Iruka moved onto the next student where Naruto rejoined Sasuke with a noticeable frown on his face which marred his face for the rest of the day while he watched other students practice with their shuriken.

When Naruto arrived home he immediately went to the clan training field to practice his jutsu which he was near close to mastering, his mother and Shizune were at the hospital leaving him and Tentō alone.

* * *

In Kumogakure amidst clouds and mountains and at night where the stars and moon were shining brightly, the Third Raikage was currently assembling a platoon of his shinobi, among them were some of the finest Kumogakure, among them being his student and his son, A, the chosen Yondaime Raikage and Darui along with them a sensor known simply as C. the Raikage was going to be assigning them a mission that required tact and expertise, though were already in enough of a unpopular state with the Hyūga affair where no one came out of that situation unscathed.

"Now, you all know what to do, you must not be caught, get in, get the package get out, and bring it here. This will be a blow to Konoha and a gain for Kumo, I chose you because you are the best there is, make me proud." spoke the Raikage to his platoon who all nodded.

"But Raikage-sama, are you sure we wish to do this, if we do it shall mean war, and I doubt the Hokage and the elder's will not take offence to it." spoke C wh voiced his concern's to his leader, as this could easily be seen as an act war.

"I already calculated that, if you're careful they won't even notice until it's too late." spoke the Raikage. "Now, go." and with all the shinobi left the village for Konoha intent on completing their mission.

* * *

"The Uchiha clan intends to revolt against the Village Hidden in the Leaves." spoke Itachi without any shred of emotion in his face or voice. "They will stage their coup within either tonight or within the next week."

"This is all the proof, I will not allow the Uchiha to do as they please jeopardising our village." spoke Danzō with his single visible eye shut off from the rest of the world. "I know you must agree with me Hiruzen." with those words Hiruzen merely nodded to his childhood friend.

"There must be another way, we just need more time." spoke Hiruzen Sarutobi as he sat with his old friends and Konoha elders, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado and Danzō Shimura.

"There is no more time, we have to take action now!" spoke Homura as he argued with his childhood friend and former teammate.

"We can handle this politically, without bloodshed. There has to be an alternative." bit back Hiruzen intent on not letting what was about to transpire happen, there was still time, they could work things out with the Uchiha.

"There is no alternative Hiruzen, we either pluck the weed from the roots or let it fester." spoke Danzō with his cold and uncaring face.

In front of them and apparently forgotten, was the prodigy and heir of the Uchiha clan, Itachi Uchiha, ANBU captain. Itachi was currently kneeling before them with his weasel mask to the side of his face. Itachi was just listening with his ears and starigng at them with his Sharingan eyes, he agreed with Hiruzen that there was more time than they thought while he also agreed with Danzō that there was very little that could be done at the moment, he was caught between a rock and a hard place, support two sides and either way he would fall from grace.

"The Uchiha clan are rallying at this very moment, if we don't spearhead the operation it will mean the start of the Fourth Shinobi world war." spoke Koharu with her squinted eyes and pursed lips, she knew no other alternative to avoid the oncoming bloodshed.

"So we meet violence with violence, that has never solved our problems in the past and it won't now, I had hoped to appeal to Fugaku Uchiha about the oncoming coup but your persistent attempts to stop me have only brought about this catastrophe." spoke Hiruzen his eyes fuming and his face scrunched, he had hoped that both Uchiha and Konoha would prosper from a new alliance, but alienating them and treating them like criminals have only worsened the situation. 'If only Obito Uchiha had lived and grown into a great shinobi, he may have become great Hokage and this situation may have be averted.'

"It's simple, we either take action or we allow our innocent people to be caught in the cross-fire, there is no other way." spoke Danzō. "Itachi ahas already taken it upon himself to carry out his orders... Itachi you know what you must do." said Uchiha nodded at the bandaged man and quickly left the room with Hiruzen frowning and with sad eyes in his face.

* * *

Around that time the Kumogakure squad had been travelling double-time to make it to Konoha to snatch their prize, but for the time they were camping out, A, Darui and C were discussing their plans.

"We'll send a single squad to claim the package, Darui, C, you stay here with me, we can't mess up like the times when he failed to kidnap, Kushina Uzumaki and Hinata Hyūga, this time we can't fail, we absolutely cannot." spoke A as he told his troops of his plans, with that said, the selected Kumo squad nodded and headed into the village, quietly and stealthily so not to be discovered by Konoha's forces. Their objective, the Senju compound.

* * *

Naruto was currently practicing his single wind jutsu and was working on his chakra control, something his mother pointed out to him Tentō was resting a bit away lazily watching his master practice his techniques, well into the night, Naruto was known for his high amount of chakra and stamina which nearly made him a monster in his own right.

Naruto meanwhile was sweating profusely and had cuts around his fingers and hands which were healing quickly and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"One more time, I have to." spoke Naruto as he cycled through the handseals once again to perform the jutsu. "**Fūton: Kamaitachi no jutsu (Wind release: Sickle Weasel technique)!**" spoke Naruto as he held out his hands as gales of wind burst forth shredding everything in their path and shredding a tree to pieces. When Naruto looked at his handiwork he was jumping around the place with a large smile on his face, he had successfully mastered the jutsu, ever since he started performing well in his medical ninjutsu studies things had been easier for him, though his chakra control was still bad as he had trouble using just simple jutsu such as the **Bunshin no jutsu (Clone technique)**.

Tentō then popped his head into the air, hearing some thing wrong, he smelled it in the air. Tentō then started squeaking towards it's master trying to warn the blonde haired Senju of something amiss, when Naruto heard Tentō's squeaks he ran over to the small dragon and questioned him what was wrong.

The next thing Naruto saw was shuriken flying towards him to which he narrowly dodged it as he fell on his butt, the next thing he saw was six Kumogakure ninja lining his clan compounds walls, one of them landed in front of him and tried to grab him by the throat, though Tentō highly, protective of his master charged into action and bit the shinobi's hand where he yelped in pain.

Naruto seeing the opening his dragon gave him attempted to run and call for help only for the five other Kumo ninja to chase after him.

The loyalty an animal companion had to it's master was near immeasurable, dragons were one of the worlds most emotional creatures, and it was common knowledge that a dragon will defend it's family to the death, Tentō's love for Naruto was far too deep for the dragon to just allow anyone to harm him, though even with it's small body it would protect Naruto with it's last breath of fire.

Tentō still sinking his semi sharp teeth into the ninja's hand let go and tried to breath fire into the man's face so to scar or distract him which would give Tentō enough time to protect his closest friend. However, the small dragon was only able to produce a small puff of smoke that was barely hot, the Kumo nin giving the dragon a sneer smacked Tentō away where a he hit the wall in the compound where he moaned in pain and tried to find his master only for the dragon to lose consciousness with a whimper.

* * *

Naruto meanwhile was running through the halls of his compound, he had to escape so to call for help, however his heart wrenched ever so discreetly, he cold literally feel his companions Tentō being hurt, but he had to steel himself for the moment, as he had to focus on calling for help.

While running through the halls he pulled shelves and antiques off the walls and tables trying to create obstacles for him to buy time, however the trained shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Clouds easily jumped and manoeuvred around the debris and kept chasing Naruto with small smirks. Seeing as he had created a large mess around the house Naruto in attempt to save himself cycled through handseals.

But had to duck where kunai were thrown at him and kept on running, leading his pursuers to a large hall in the main mansion in the compound. Naruto seeing all his attackers coming at him cycled through handseals. The Kumo ninja flinched a little but still advanced on the blonde with little fear from a child, it was ludicrous to them to fear a child, no matter if he was a Senju and a descendant of the Hokage.

Completing his last set of handseals Naruto grunted a little as he held out his hands.

"**Fūton: Kamaitachi ni jutsu!**" Yelled Naruto as he created air currents and vacuum pockets, employing invisible wind blades that shredded the wooden walls of the hall and flew at the Kumo shinobi who braced themselves for the attack, by holding up their hands hoping to keep their faces unharmed.

When the gale hit them they were swept off their feet and they had large cuts on their arms and legs and around the torso with a few small cuts on their faces and cheeks that were bleeding slightly and they were sent to through a few wooden walls and they tumbled to the ground, Naruto had put more chakra in that jutsu than required causing it to be stronger than usual.

He was about to run again before he felt a shadow over him and a pressure hit the back of his neck causing his eyes to slowly close and the world around him to go blank.

"Alright, we got the kid." said the Kumo nin who grabbed Naruto's unconscious body before he could hit the ground, the other shinobi that were sent through the walls of the compound came back to check on their prize with cuts and scrapes with wooden splinters covering their bodies and with noticeable frowns on their faces for being bested by a child, although their pride was broken they would be alright in the long run.

"Raikage-sama will more than just reward us, we'll be heroes in our own village, the Last Senju is ours." said another of the Kumo nin who was just dreaming of all the glory that would be reaped from their mission.

"First we have to get him back to our village, than we think about the prizes later." with that said, the kumo nin holding Naruto hefted him over his shoulder where his limp arms were hanging to the ground like a ragdoll.

* * *

Sasuke was currently making his way back to his clan's compound with his faithful tiger companion, Yochi, trailing after him, the young Uchiha had spent most of the night practicing with his Shuriken although he wanted to check on Naruto he believed that he wanted to be alone for the night, to train by himself.

Running towards his compound, Sasuke suddenly felt like there was this dark shade watching him from above, like an owl on the search for it's prey, he snapped his head up to the sky towards a electrical pole to see if it confirmed his suspicions, but there was nothing but the howling of the wind and the cold moon watching over the world. Thinking nothing of it he continued on into the compound hoping his mother and father weren't worried for him.

* * *

Tsunade and Shizune were presently walking towards their compound, they had been stuck at work since there was a current shortage of staff at the moment, which meant that Tsunade and Shizune had to work late hours well into the night, for Tsunade all she care abuot was getting into bed and wishing her son a good night's rest.

Tsunade then felt a sharp pain in her chest, almost as if someone decided to stab it with her hand, she stopped suddenly in the middle of the road where Shizune noticed her slightly trembling body.

"Tsunade-sama?" questioned Shizune, worried for her mentor.

"I'm fine, lets just head back home." spoke Tsunade trying to calm Shizune and herself.

So they continued back towards the compound at a faster pace, but when they arrived, they were subjected to Tsunade's worst fears, inside the halls objects were thrown about and dishevelled and broken, the walls had scratches and scars upon them almost as if a hurricane was in the room, some kunai were littered about the place and there was obvious signs of a struggle.

Shizune tried to keep her mind calm and composed, while Tsunade was frantic with sweat falling down her face and tears peeking through the corners of eyes.

"NARU-CHAN!" screamed Tsunade calling out to her son, but she heard no response. "NARU-CHAN!" She looked around the house, around each corner, through each door, she kept tearfully screaming for her son but was met with the same response.

Tsunade's mind was a mess, her form was caked in fear and all reason was leaving her mind, she had to find her son, he was everything she had left in the world, the only thing she had done with her mess of a life, if she ever lost him, she didn't want to think her about it, her thoughts would be morbid, she then raced outside into the training area, hoping for any inkling of Naruto, Shizune following after her.

She looked around the training field, but she was met with the same result, he wasn't there no any sign of him was there.

"Tsunade-sama! Over here!" yelled Shizune as she knelt down towards, something, Tsuande racing over found what Shizune was looking at, a wounded and Tentō squeaking in pain and sadness. It was all the evidence she needed that someone had taken Naruto, Tentō never leaves his side, the two were like glue in that regard.

Tsunade reached out her arms and cupped the small dragon that could wrap around her shoulders, with weary eyes the small dragon opened it's blue eyes and stared into Tsunade's own brown eyes and began licking her fingers, sensing her distress and attempted to comfort her.

"Tentō, where's Naru-chan?" with that said, Tentō climbed out of her arms and started roaring, which sounded more like squeaking, it's roars were both in rage and sadness. It's cries of pain and it's whimpering of remorse that it couldn't protect it's master, his cries were so great that it was wrenching Tsunade's heart even more.

Tentō with nothing but anger and hate coming over stood up on it's and opened his mouth and let loose a large breath of fire that was six times larger than it's body and it's fire looked like searing plumes of a majestic bird, it then stopped breathing fire and instead let loose a scream that reverberated through the village.

With a new resolve, and seeing Tentō's power rising from his will to protect Naruto, Tsunade got up and ran out of the compound, without saying a word to Shizune and instead went to the only men she could trust, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya, those two may be the only ones who had the capabilities to help, flying above her Tentō followed after her intent on rescuing his master.

* * *

Sasuke was running through the Uchiha compound, seeing the corpses of his kinsmen lining the streets and their blood leaking across the ground, he was so shocked at what he was seeing, just how could anyone do this to the Uchiha clan? These questions were running through his mind but for the moment he was heading home, he could only hope that his parents were still alive, that they were alright. He believed them to be too strong to be killed like dogs as the rest of his clan. And how could anyone have the power to kill the entire Uchiha clan. Behind Yochi was running after him, with a sad look in her eyes, she was worried for her master and how this could affect him, the small tiger also knew that consoling Sasuke was not the appropriate thing to do.

When the small Uchiha boy made it to his house, he called out for his parents but received no answer, delving deeper into the home to search for his loved ones.

He finally made it to the last room in the house, he had searched everyone looking for his parents, any sign of their presence would be enough for him. Yochi just stayed back a little, knowing not to get involved in the matter. When Sasuke opened the door, all he saw was the prone bodies of his parents, his father slumped over his mother... dead. He could see no signs of life coming from them, no hitching of the breath or weariness in the eyes.

His worst fears had come to pass... his parents were murdered.

And in the room, standing over their corpses, was his older brother in his ANBU uniform and having forgone his mask, his cold Sharingan eyes giving him attention away from the dead corpses. The red irises hiding the true nature of his actions.

"Father! Mother!" yelled Sasuke as he stared at the cold corpses. "Nii-san... Nii-san, father, mother are both... Why! who, who could have done." but he was silenced as a shuriken came flying and scraped by his shoulder cutting his shirt but not wounding him, Itachi meanwhile, just kept staring at him with those cold empty eyes.

"Foolish, little brother." spoke Itachi with a coldness Sasuke had never heard before, was the person in-front of him, really Itachi, or was it just a shade with nothing to hide. Itachi closed his eyes and reopened them but his eyes were now in a pinwheel pattern that Sasuke had seen before. "**Mangekyō Sharingan**."

in the dream world, a world with no boundaries, Sasuke watched, again and again, without pausing or stopping with out looking away or closing his eyes, the massacre of his family and clan, from the men, elderly, women and children, again and again he watched them be murdered as if he was right in front of them, he wanted to call out to them, to make his brother stop but his words fell on deaf ears as his pleas went unanswered, again and again.

Clutching his head, he screamed in abject dread. He then fell to the ground, breathing hoarsely and trying to keep his eyes open.

"Why?... why would?" stated Sasuke trying to get up but his body was weak and his mind was basically mush.

"To test the limits of my capabilities, to measure my full capacity." spoke Itachi answering Sasuke's answer making the boy grit his teeth and tears to fall.

"The limits of you capabilities, that's why, you murdered everyone in our clan." questioned Sasuke with his face clinging to the ground.

"It was essential." replied Itachi with his voice low and his eyes glued on his younger brother. And now the tears tat were threatening to fall from Sasuke's eyes, rushed forward like a broken dam. With new found vigour Sasuke forced himself off the ground and rushed at Itachi calling his reason's utter crap. But he fell pathetically to the ground, and locked his eyes wit hthe image of his dead parents.

With nothing more to say, Itachi left the room, with Sasuke following after him and Yochi staying in her place by the door. Scared of the older Itachi.

* * *

Outside the village, the Kumo shinobi who had kidnapped Naruto were running through at top speeds to et as much distance away from Konoha with their special package, around that time, said boy was currently waking up from the unconsciousness that had taken him, when he opened eyes fully and the grogginess fading away. When he saw the Kumo shinobi his body snapped back into action and he found himself being taken away.

He did what any captive person would do, he resisted.

"Hey you, assholes put me down!" yelled Naruto as he beat his hands on his captor, the one currently carrying him back to Kumo.

"Don't worry, kid, what we're doing is good, you're going to a special place, a better place, away from Konoha." said one fo the Kumo shinobi trying to appeal to Naruto's sense of wonder.

"No, let me go, I don't want to go anywhere with YOU!" said naruto as he struggled against the confines, unfortunately the Kumo nin didn't bind him with rope, first of all not believing him to be a great enough threat and two they wished they gagged him. "LET ME GO, I WANT TO GO HOME BACK TO MOM!"

Speaking of said Senju mother, she was currently meeting with the Sandaime and Jiraiya, she had just gone over how her mansion was ransacked and that Naruto was nowhere in sight, at first Jiraiya took the situation lightly and said that Naruto had gone a little overboard in the training, but Tsunade rebuked him saying that her favourite vase was broken and Naruto knew if he broke it he was in for the punishment of a lifetime, that quickly coerced Jiraiya especially with that mean glare of Tsunade's.

When Hiruzen had heard of it, he was exasperated to hear such a thing, he had already sent a squad of ANBU to the Uchiha compound, having already been informed of what was happening.

And on top of that, the Last Senju had been plucked from his home. In response to what Tsunade was saying, the Sandaime gathered a platoon of ninja, with some Jōnin and mostly Chūnin to rescue Naruto, with Tsume Inuzuka tracking the boy and Jiraiya and Tsunade going along with them, her motherly instincts would not allow her to just stand by while her child was in danger.

* * *

Elsewhere, in the Uchiha compound Sasuke had chased after Itachi when the latter tried to flee and escape.

"You, you can't be my brother, he would never do such a thing, he can't because." spoke Sasuke with tears still trailing down his face and staining his cheeks.

"The brother you knew and loved, did this to reach his full potential, to reach the limit beyond his limits. To climb higher than any other before him and ever will be. That has been my one goal." continued Itachi spouting his motives for killing the Uchiha. "I acted as the older brother you desired and loved for one purpose, I wanted to discover how powerful you were. I needed to find a worthy opponent to test my abilities against, you Sasuke, have that potential, I murdered the clan to in-still in you your own power to rival my own, and I have done just that... now I have made you hate me, to despise my existence and loathe the very air I breath in... Now you have the desire to kill me which is exactly while I'm going to let you live... for my own benefit. Like me you have the power to awaken the Mangekyō... however... there is one prerequisite... take the life of your best friend. _You must kill him_." with those words, Sasuke's thoughts instantly travelled to Naruto and his smiling whiskered face, no he couldn't why would he ever do such a thing. "Kill him just as I did. To become like me."

Sasuke's eyes widened with horror and he knew exactly to who Itachi was talking about, Shisui Uchiha.

"You... you killed Shisui?!" whispered Sasuke onto the wind.

"I did, and it is because of him that I gained these eyes and the power that comes with them." responded Itachi with that cold look on his face. "At the main temple of the Naka shrine on the far right side under the seventh tatami mat is the clan's secret gathering place. There you will find the secrets that the Uchiha have hoarded and the purpose of our Dōjutsu that the Uchiha clan originally served. The true purpose, the real secret is hidden there. If you discover how to open your eyes to the truth you will be the fourth person to awaken the Mangekyō including myself. To ensure that happens is enough reason to let you live." Itachi then took a step which made Sasuke flinch in fear of his older brother. "Oh Sasuke don't fret, it would be worthless and pointless to kill you, you have little value after all... my foolish little brother... if you want to kill me, curse me! Hate me! survive in such an unsightly manner... go on, run away and cling to your pitiful life and then, someday when we both posses the same eyes... come back and face me." spoke Itachi before turning around and leaving Sasuke alone.

However not content with Itachi's reason. Sasuke chased after him and picked up some kunai.

* * *

Naruto was still struggling against the Kumo nin, taking him to Kumogakure, where he believed they would make him a breeder to produce more of the Senju clan within their own village an even more powerful Senju clan as he was also a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, inheriting their massive lifeforce and chakra, A new Senju clan, stronger than the last, Kumo knew full well the power of the Uzumaki, as they wiped them out along with Kiri during the Second Shinobi World War. Naruto Senju, was the Hope of the Senju clan.

In an effort to stop his struggling and not to produce any ninjutsu as he did when in the compound, they bound his hands with rope, inhibiting his abilities to produce handseals. He kicked and screamed at the top of his lungs all the while tears were forming in his eyes, he didn't ask to be taken from Konoha, he hadn't done anything to anybody, he was just a normal seven year old boy, he didn't ask to be a Senju he just was.

He never wanted to be separated from those he loved, he just wanted to go home and be with his family, with his mother, he mentally called out for her again and again, and soon he was yelling it at the tops of his lungs, hoping she would hear him.

"Stop your complaining, as we told you already we're taking you to a better place." said the Kumo nina carrying Naruto.

"NO, I don't wanna go anywhere with you, I wanna go home, back to MOM!" yelled Naruto as his tears fell freely like rushing waves against a sandy beach. He continuously squirmed against his restraints not knowing that he was delving into a place beyond everything.

"**Naruto**." spoke a dark voice to the blonde, who awoke to find himself sitting in water crying, with metal walls and leaky pipes dotting the area, almost like a boiler room or flooded industrial building, he could see his reflection in the water, his fears and his will to return to his family. His face was red and his eyes were puffy from all the crying and the sobbing. He looked around himself, trying to find his mother in sight, but she was no where to be found, again. He just wanted to be with her again, in her safe arms where none of the evils in the world were plaguing him.

"**Naruto**." Naruto then looked up and came face to face with a large steel cage, with decorated bars and a paper seal with the word 'seal' on it, when he tried to see beyond the cage all he was able to perceive nothing but black, his tears still kept falling to the ground and dripping to the soaked floor while his sobs stopped. "**Aww, **w**hats the matter?**" Naruto heard that dark voice again, mockingly and with a chuckle that belied a darker intent. "**You wish to be with those you... love**. **To see them again.**"

"You can... help me." spoke the boy as he stared into the cage, he could feel the malicious presence behind the bars, the sheer hate was overwhelming.

"**You know what you have to do, give them a glimpse of your true power, awaken that which has been forgotten, awaken that which is unique to you. The power of the Senju is yours.**" the voice then chuckled menacingly and Naruto if he focused enough, could see nine waving tails in the air. Naruto then gasped as he knew exactly what he saw, the nine, he had heard about it in class, he had a sneaking feeling that it was alive, and now it was making it's way closer to the bars of the cage, a giant fox, The Kyūbi Yōko. "**Why do you hesitate?**" asked the giant fox sarcastically.

"I-I'm not." questioned the boys as he tears continued to fall.

"**You hate them don't you, taking you away from your mother.**" spoke the Kyūbi, feeling Naruto's rising hatred for the Kumo nin. "**I can help you, you need my power, don't you? We are one in the same.**" questioned the demon fox. Naruto contemplating the fox's question nodded his head at the great beast, to which the fox seemed to grin in approval, a sickly grin showing off it's sharp teeth that can devour any man. "**Now then, who do you want to kill?**"

Naruto continued to listen to the beast, still being young, he did not know not to trust the creature within him. He wanted to hurt the Kumo shinobi who took him away, who ripped him way from everything he knew. The Kyūbi sensing Naruto's desire to kill those who wronged him, grinned even more and kept watching Naruto's falling tears.

"**Yes, you know by now, don't you, that without me, you can't do anything at all, nothing at all, but I can return you to the life you knew, to everything you love, I can grant you power that only few have possessed. Heheheh, the power of a god, just like that of your ancestor, Asura.**" spoke the Kyūbi manipulating Naruto, however the Kyūbi knew that Naruto didn't have enough hatred to fully release form the seal, his primal desire for power was not great enough for the fox to break free. "**Weaken the seal, just enough, and I will make you great and powerful, and you shall be reunited... with your mother.**"

Naruto believing the fox, and not knowing who this Asura was, even though the name sounded mysteriously strange to him. He walked up to the bars of the cage and started floating up before the paper seal, his tears staining the shirt, he then gripped a corner of the paper seal and hesitated for just a second while the fox looked up pleadingly, he couldn't manipulate Naruto just yet he didn't have enough hatred for that, but if he could weaken the seal, it would be enough.

"**Yes, yes, tear at it and you shall have power, yours and mine. Everything.**" spoke the Kyūbi as he watched his jailor, tear the seal in half.

* * *

Sasuke was chasing Itach all through the Uchiha compound, the young boy knew that he wasn't as fast as his older brother and had to struggle to his limits to keep up. However he was able to see an opening, a drop in Itachi's guard as the latter attempted to flee from the scene.

Sasuke with his three kunai in hand, threw all the kunai with pinpoint accuracy, attempting to kill Itachi for what he did to their clan and family.

Itachi, with his Sharingan seeing the incoming kunai, un-sheathed his katana and blocked two of the kunai with finesse and with his heightened sense of perception he could see the mall clearly even the third one which would give him a glancing blow. When the third kunai stuck Itachi's hitai-ate, he paused for a moment and then looked back at his younger brother, cradling his left arm and with a look of utter hatred in his eyes. But within each of Sasuke's eyes, he had an immature Sharingan, each with a single tomoe staring at Itachi as if they were mirrors.

Itachi wanted to feel proud for his younger brother at awakening the infamous eyes of their clan, but he also knew what it meant to awaken those eyes, he knew, that to Sasuke, he was nothing more than the ire of a life of revenge, Sasuke would erase all love of him from his heart, the bond they had, the bond Itachi would cherish to his dying breath, was nothing more than cold breath on the wind or blood flowing down a stream, it would serve as a reminder, to strengthen Sasuke, that even the kindest person, can be the most cruel.

Knowing that the love they shared was gone, and that the next time he and Sasuke would meet they would be enemies, along with the thought of being separated from him, caused Itachi to openly weep as his tears cascaded down his cheeks while he stared down at his younger brother where the boy's Sharingan deactivated and he fell into unconsciousness. Itachi respectively left the area.

I would be a ten minutes later when a squad of ANBU black ops led by the legendary captain and student of the Yondaime, Kakashi Hatake would arrive on the scene scouting the area for survivor's of the tragic massacre, among them was the Sandaime Hokage and his advisor Danzō Shimura, the man who secretly spearheaded the Uchiha massacre.

"Just how. The entire clan, dead." said one of the ANBU members inspecting a corpse of one of the victims, Kakashi who was standing nearby could scarcely believe that one of the strongest clans in Konoha, one of the strongest in the world, would be wiped out to the brink of extinction. The Sandaime who was observing the scene around him was, unnerved by it all, he, the Hokage, who had seen death in every corner of his vision was like this, this wasn't a simple act of killing, it was a slaughter for lambs, and Itachi was the wolf.

"Rescure anyone who is alive!" ordered Hiruzen, with a frown, It had to have been tonight, when he recently had received news that Naruto was taken by Kumo ninja, just like the time Kumo had attempted to kidnap the Hyūga heiress, Hinata. This was all the proof that Kumo was indeed power hungry and his old 'associate' the Sandaime Raikage was seeking even more power to amass for his village, if the Raikage ever discovered that Naruto was the Kyūbi Jinchūriki, then it would be the equivalent for the Raikage swimming in gold.

He could only hope that Jiraiya and Tsunade along with Tsume Inuzuka and the squad of shinobi he sent along would be enough to rescue Naruto before he reached the border, otherwise it would be beyond his power to help him.

"Hokage-sama! There's a survivor." yelled a purple haired ANBU member who was crouching down to the prone body of Sasuke Uchiha. Hiruzen merely responded by ordering the ANBU soldier to take Sasuke to the medical unit.

"No other survivors." spoke Kakashi as he walked up to his village leader, the Sandaime didn't make any other emotion nor facial expression, only ordering his troops to take away the corpses, every single one and to check inside the buildings for the others.

"Just who could have done this?" spoke another ANBU member with a cat mask with green and red stripes on it. Then everyone heard the memorable tapping of a cane, coming in from behind them, where they all turned to see Danzō who had wandered off from the group to search for survivors.

"Itachi Uchiha." spoke Danzō making everyone question as to why Itachi would murder his own clan. "Itachi above all, despised his clan, the Uchiha. That is why he killed Shisui Uchiha and stole his eyes, to cause in-fighting among his brethren... and then finally... he caused this atrocity."

"But why? Why did he kill everyone, even the children who were no threat!" spoke Kakashi while the Sandaime silenced him and reminded the ANBU captain of his duties.

Danzō merely walked up to his childhood friend with an impassive look on his face, Hiruzen, knowing of the coup, didn't fall for Danzō's little white lie, perhaps he had been too lenient when it came to regards with Danzō, it was time for the Hokage of legend to finally crack the whip.

"This settles everything." stated Danzō, making Hiruzen turn on him in rage questioning how the slaughter of so many settled anything, death only lead to more death, revenge lead to revenge, suffering lead to suffering, it was a cycle that persistently continued to flow.

"Do you not see the complications we're left with!" yelled the Sandaime to his old friend who merely scoffed at the old Hokage, not taking the old shinobi's words seriously.

"I consider this a very minor in retrospective, the revival of the Senju clan will fill the void left by the Uchiha, simple." spoke Danzō using a foolish excuse to justify his actions, and not even the Senju clan could fill the void left by the Uchiha, he had inveigled Itachi to carry out his orders to slaughter his own family and he had brought death and misery just like all the times he did in the past.

"Danzō, this is the last straw, I cannot allow you to act on your own accord any longer. As of this moment, you are relieved of your duties as my second-in-command where that duty will fall to Tsunade Senju." spoke Hiruzen as he turned away from Danzō, giving him no attention whatsoever.

"Hiruzen, understand, I did it for the..." spoke Danzō trying to make Hiruzen understand his way of thinking.

"'For the good of Konoha'?" said Hiruzen finishing Danzō's sentence. "Well then, the Uchiha clan, no matter how you saw them in your light, were people of Konoha, just as every man, woman and child are also people of the leaf. Your ANBU and your ROOT are here-by dissolved! I will deal with you personally later! Until then, get of of my sight! And don't show your face to me until I call for you. And our discussion about Naruto Senju being handed over to your custody, the answer is still one in the same... stay away from him! You shall not have him."

"Unless Kumo acquires him." spoke Danzō where the bitter friends went their separate ways.

* * *

While the tragedy was happening back at Konoha, Tsunade Senju, Jiraiya and Tsume Inuzuka were tracking down the Kumo squad that had kidnapped Naruto, and through out the whole way there, Tsunade hadn't spoken a word, she was too focused on rescuing her baby that anybodies words basically went through one ear and out the other, except for Tsume with her loyal ninken, Kuromaru, tracking the scent of Naruto and relaying any information.

"His scent is getting stronger! We should catch up to them within two minutes with the speed we're travelling at, they haven't reached the border yet!" yelled Tsume who looked behind herself notifying the two sannin and the squad sent with them to which they all nodded.

However, Tsume detected that something was amiss, the scent they were trailing wasn't moving at all, just sitting in the same place, even her partner Kuromaru also detected it, she could smell it in the air, the smell of iron, either they were approaching a metal fortress or, she didn't want to think of the latter option, and her skills of observation were also alerting her, the trees, their roots were uprooted and their wood seemed splintered, a rising feeling of unease was coming over her, and still, the scent hadn't moved.

When they finally made it to a small clearing, where Naruto's scent ended, each and everyone of them gasped in horror.

The clearing all that decorated it was not the brilliant green that the people of the land were accustomed to, the brown bark of the trees were dulled into another, dark colour, what everyone saw made their skin go pale and sweat to drip down from their foreheads onto their chins, their eyes were wide with fear and horror, what they saw, could it be done by man, or by a monster.

Blood, that was all there was, blood, even the white flak jackets of Kumo were stained with it, limbs were hacked off and eyes were rolled back into their respective heads, the blood was so red, you could mistake it for black, the scene would have made anybody throw up, one such chūnin felt a drop on his forehead and looked up to find the source where he stared into the dead eyes of the poor ninja, who body was pierced by strong branches. There were others, strung up in the branches, their blood dripping everywhere creating a morbid chorus to anyone that listened.

In the middle of the carnage, one could hear sniffles, sobs and small cries, Tsunade breaking from her shock of what she saw, her eyes focused on a specific area, a small boy, sitting in the middle slaughter, he had golden hair that shined like the sun though was caked in red from the blood, he wore shorts, wristbands and a sleeveless hoodie and sandals, he hah his knee's up to his chest, and his arms around his shoulders. The boy was currently crying to his heart's contents, but nor was he screaming to his heart's content, he had seen things he had never thought he would see in his young life.

Tsunade ran up to her son, with no other thought in mind and she swiftly cradled his still form in an attempt to comfort him with her warmth, though she widened her eyes a little when he didn't reciprocate her act of love, she pulled herself away a little, allowing the blood of the nina's in the tree's to stain her form.

"Naru-chan?" spoke Tsunade softly with a little sadness breaking it. But he didn't respond to herm he just kept on crying, oblivious to her presence. "Naru-chan it's me, it's your mother, everything is going to be alright." But she was met with the same result.

"I... killed them... I killed them..." whispered Naruto as he looked up at his mother where she had to hold back a gasp, his eyes, they were blood red with slits for pupils and his whiskers were thicker and look bushier and his canines were sharp and looked like fangs while his hair was longer and wilder. "I... hated them so much... and he told me to... he told me to and I did... and I didn't like it." said Naruto as cried some more returning to his original position.

Tsunade widened her eyes in shock and understanding, knowing exactly what was going on. The Kyūbi no Yōko. She then looked down towards Naruto's hidden stomach where she could see black blotches around where the seal was suppose to be, and all around them there was a black liquid spilling everywhere. She feared the worst, the seal was near breaking.

"Jiraiya!" yelled Tsunade where the man broke from his stupor and joined her.

"Naru-chan, listen to me, we have to do a medical procedure, ok, this won't be long." spoke Tsunade with a soothing voice. Naruto nodded at her with salty tears trailing down his cheeks, with enough said Tsunade unzipped his hood and lifted up his shirt where she saw the opened seal which appeared as if the symbols around the seal now spread up to Naruto's torso and the spiral pattern opened up into a circle, leaking black ink all over the ground. Knowing that she had to reseal the Kyūbi Tsunade lifted the sleeve to her haori where the key to the Kyūbi's seal appeared on her right arm and without any words slammed it on Naruto's stomach and made a twisting motion, strengthening the seal back to full power where it appeared as normal.

The ninja watching what was transpiring merely hitched their breaths in recognition, all except Tsume, even though they weren't skilled in it's field, they knew exactly what they were seeing, it was a seal, a largely convoluted one that only masters could understand, that seal was designed to contain powerful things, such as Bijū.

"He's the." spoke one of the chūnin.

"It makes sense, of course he would seal it in him." said another chūnin, they had to tell everybody this, that they discovered the identity of the beast that took their families from them. Everybody needed to know this, the Sandaime had refused to reveal the identity of the Jinchūriki, but here he was, alive.

The experience of having the Kyūbi's seal strengthened caused to Naruto to be knocked out, where Jiraiya picked him up and carried him on his back where the small blonde was sleeping, oblivious to everything around him.

When they made it back to the village, everyone split off from the others, Tsume, seeing what happened, promised Tsunade that she wouldn't reveal 'that' certain information, to which the Senju mother was grateful for, but the other shinobi, they had plans.

Later when Naruto was taken to the hospital, Tsunade contacted Inoichi Yamanaka, to perform an evaluation on Naruto's psyche along with Sasuke's. It was revealed that, the trauma from Naruto's experience had caused him to receive repressed memories, memories of the Kyūbi and how he could those men were lost, Inocihi believed it to be unlikely that he could remember anything other than those dead men, while Sasuke he remembered everything to the finest detail, the mental torture he undured was great and it would scar him for the rest of his life. But seeing death and creating death was different, both boys were scarred in one way, Tsunade and Inoichi were also worried that the experiences would change Naruto and Sasuke, in what way only few could guess.

Naruto after the experience, had gone into a depression and in a guilty state, he of course blamed himself for killing those men, he even regarded himself as a monster, it broke Tsunade's heart to see him like that, he hardly smiled after that and instead was silent, with a seemingly dead look on his face. Like Inoichi said, Naruto didn't remember how exactly he killed those men, he could only remember glimpses and all evidence of Naruto's meeting with the Kyūbi was severed. But still, he could remember all that blood and death. He would never forget that image so long as he lived, he had taken a life at the age of seven therefore, he had lost the innocence that most children would have. That was the worst, the entire village had discovered that Naruto was the Kyūbi Jinchūriki and what he did to those men, Tsunade had an feeling that it was those Chūnin who accompanied her and they spread word amongst the village. When the Sandaime found the men responsible, he suspended them from being shinobi for revealing a S-rank secret.

Ever since, no one had treated Naruto the same, they regarded him as the plague and people would sneer at his presence and ignore him entirely, parents even told their children to stay away from him, isolating the already lonely boy, even if Naruto was the Jinchūriki, people would have still regarded him as a person because of his connection to the Yondaime, but the mysterious circumstances of those Kumo nin's deaths had caused fear to be rooted in the hearts of the people and they believed Naruto was now a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.

Naruto confronted his mother about it, but she hid the truth of him being the vessel to the fox, he questioned her why people were treating him as the village pariah, but she hid that too, she didn't feel Naruto was ready to understand the position he was in.

Tsunade also confronted Hiruzen and what they were going to do about Kumo, Hiruzen said that the corpses of the ninja was irrefutable evidence, Homura nad Koharu have already suggested suing for peace between the two villages, however Kumo must pay for what they tried to do, Hiruzen and the Sandaime Raikage would be meeting to discuss their predicaments and how more bloodshed could be avoided.

Tsunade in the meantime gave her son the only words she could say, and was able to at least heal some of the wounds inflicted by the experience and the villagers.

So now Naruto was going back to the river with Tentō to meet with his best friend, Sasuke.

He saw the black haired boy, staring into the water petting his companion, his black tiger, Yochi. However, when Naruto called out to his friend ,he found him unresponsive and with a blank look in his eyes.

"Hey Sasuke!" called out Naruto with a small smile, making said boy turn his head to stare at him blankly which unnerved the blonde a little at the emptiness in his dark eyes. The black haired boy didn't say anything other than stare back in the water.

"So what do you want to practice today?" asked Naruto with an underlying feeling of hope in his voice so Sasuke didn't respond to him again only got up on his feet again. Naruto could sense a change in his friend's demeanour, he felt darker, more hate filled.

"Naruto." spoke Sasuke turning to his friend, Naruto widened his eyes a little in recognition. "It was fun while it lasted, but we can't keep doing this."

"Sasuke? What?" questioned Naruto to his friend but he received no response from said Uchiha.

"Enough, I can't keep doing this, unlike you I have lost everything important to me, I have learned that dream of ours, erasing all the hatred in this world, it's nothing more than just a childish dream, one that we tell ourselves is possible." continued Sasuke his eyes narrowing while Naruto's eyes widened at his friend. "Hatred can never be erased, you can only erase the one's you hate, that is something I learned to be true. From today, I'll be following my own path, my own dream, a path that you can't follow or be a part of, I wished things were different and I wished I could have believed that hatred can be erased forever, but I know, it was just a foolish dream of ours. My eyes have opened up to the truth. This is goodbye." spoke Sasuke as he turned around and walked a different direction from his friend.

"What? Sasuke! So you're just going to give up on all we worked towards! That dream, is nothing more than foolish to you!" yelled Naruto towards his friend hoping for him to hear him, after all they went through, Naruto had wished that Sasuke would have remained the same, he just couldn't turn away now, he had to make him see, that their dream could become a reality, not an illusion.

"Believe me, if things were different, then I could have believed you... but at the end of the day, we are too different to bring that pipe-dream into a reality... people can never cooperate with one another, it's just that simple. You are the sun, bathing in your own light, while I am the moon, shrouded in darkness." spoke Sasuke stopping in his stride. "The net time, we won't be friends and we won't be enemies, we'll be nothing more than obstacles in the other's path, to me you will be _Naruto Senju_... and when that time comes you will know me as _Sasuke Uchiha_." spoke Sasuke as he turned his head and locked eyes with Naruto's sapphire blue meeting his blood red with a single tomoe in each eye.

And at that very moment, Naruto knew what it meant to awaken the Sharingan, from that moment, he could feel the despair Sasuke was feeling. At that moment, their friendship was broken and Sasuke decided to erase his friend from his life. Naruto was dead to Sasuke, the friend with who he shared his dreams and ideals with all the moments they laughed together, had fun together, all those moments were nothing more than shards of broken glass.

* * *

From within his own space, with water and stars shining over him and the sun and moon sharing the same dark sky, Hagoromo merely watched the reincarnations of his two sons, begin once again their eternal dance of conflict. For what felt like the thousandth time, Hagoromo frowned at what he saw, as in life and now in death, he would watch Asura and Indra, continue their eternal strife, again, and again he would watch with bated breath to see if his son's would put aside their hatred and discord to achieve a goal Hagoromo would wish for a lifetime, he had thought that it was discovered with Hashirama and Madara, but again it ended with the same result.

The tale of Naruto and Sasuke, Hagoromo could sense that these two boys would be stronger than their previous lives, he could hope again and again that his squabbling sons would bring peace to the world, and despite being children Hagoromo knew that they would be wiser than he was, children were surprising in that regard for their inconceivable wisdom. But Hagoromo had hope, that the prophecy of the mischievous blue eyed boy that would call out the names of the nine beasts and play with them, would be Naruto, he had his doubts that the blue eyed boy was Naruto, but if he was than it would be Naruto's strength and will that would bring peace in this world.

Hagoromo also had the ability of foresight, he could already see the events of Naruto and Sasuke coming undone, but what he saw was never concrete, he could see paths leading to the bridge and not the bridge itself.

The old sage looked to his right to gaze into another part of the water. Where he could see a path, involving Naruto and Sasuke.

He could see a prison, a cage, suspended above fire and surrounded by rock and two men watching over the prison.

* * *

At a prison, located in a barren black wasteland was a volcano, sitting in the middle of nowhere, at the volcano housed a prison, made of metal bars and chains. The cage was suspended above the volcano where it's scorching heat and near unbreathable air permeated the area, one the cgae four metal dragons were biting onto chains suspending the prison, around all of it was rails and platforms, devoid of life. Except for two men looking over the cage which had a large hole in it and the area around them was broken in several places.

"He caught us by surprise, we were unprepared, forgive us Naruto-sama." spoke one of the men who was wearing the armour of the samurai of the Land of Iron, the soldier had forgone his helmet revealing his short brown hair and handsome face, he also wore a bear pelt as a cape.

The other person, the one called Naruto was a man in his elderly age, he had long white hair that reached his shoulders which used to be spiky but lost it's spikiness because of old age with a topknot and a shoulder length beard without a moustache, he had slightly tanned skin and deep ocean blue eyes he had three whisker marks on each of his cheeks with two of the whiskers visible through his beard, giving him a slight vulpine appearance and upon his forehead were markings of a crimson circle with a dot in the middle reminiscent of a third eye.

He was wearing a black robe with gold lining, tight sleeves that went down to his forearms, the robe split down the middle both in the back and front at his waist, he wore the men's version of an obi with black and gold lining, he also wore black gloves that extended to his forearms with gold lining, pointed black boots that went up to his knees with gold lining and gold and orange cloth on his shoulders that were held together with red sashes that tucked into his obi and underneath he wore a red and burnt orange kimono shirt with an undershirt beneath that and simple black pants. He was also carrying a large, white scroll on his back with swirling wind motifs.

"How could you let this happen." stated Naruto with an angry look on his face and narrowed eyes and speaking in a tone that did not carry his usual kindness. "You had one duty and yet you were incapable of carrying it out. Next time I should send boys in your place, they will at least get the job done."

"We never saw him coming, it was like nothing we had ever seen." spoke the Samurai trying to calm down the legendary Senju leader. "And... he has Mokuton and Kinton."

"No! This can't be! Then the situation is worse than I feared." spoke the old man as he turned to the samurai with a shocked look in his face. "Do you have any notion, the power this criminal possesses, his base powers can defeat any shinobi, his kekki genkai can defeat the world and now you're telling me he has acquired my cells."

"We'll put together a tracking party after him." responded the Samurai.

"We don't need to track him, I know exactly where he's going." spoke Naruto as he turned around and exited the volcano prison with the samurai in toe where they were approaching a large balcony. "Send word to the Nanadaime Hokage and my oldest son, Dei Senju, of an impending attack on Konoha, I will fly out myself and warn the other kage of the coming danger. The villages must be protected."

Naruto then slammed his hand onto the ground where puffs of smoke appeared revealing four small brown frogs, Naruto then wrote on four scrolls containing messages for all of the kage.

"But, where are you going?" asked the samurai as he looked on as the aged Hokage walked up to the edge of the balcony.

Naruto stuck his fingers to the corners of his mouth and whistled a signal. When the Samurai looked up he saw the head of a large dragon pop up from below the balcony, a human barely the size of it's eye, it's scales were white with varying shades of grey, it's barbels were black along with the spikes going down it's spine and it's horns were a jet black colour and it had two tusks pointing upward and downward that were also black in colour. The Senju leader then mounted the dragon where it lowered it's head to allow the Senju leader aboard, where the old man took in his grip, a piece of long rope that was connected to it's horns.

"To stop him." spoke the retired Hokage as he pulled on the reigns of his dragon, Tentō. And with that said, the massive dragon the size of the Hokage mountain took flight with his master onboard, intent on apprehending the criminal that was locked up in that prison. Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

'how was he able to escape, I stripped him of his ability to manipulate his chakra, he must have somehow gained my cells and used the amazing power of my lifeforce and Yang release, to be able to repair the chakra circulatory system after I severed the connections, this time, I won't be so weak, I used Wind release last time, but this I'll use Yang release to to permanently remove his chakra.' thought Naruto thinking about what he was going to do, he also knew that since Sasuke gained his cells, he would be stronger, both physically and his chakra and his Rinnegan will be much stronger, being the only Uchiha to awaken the Rinnegan without Senju DNA.

Sensing his master's unease Tentō flew even faster, intent on reaching their location where Sasuke was supposedly heading to. Naruto didn't like the fact that he was going to be fighting his childhood friend again, but he was the only person in the world that could defeat Sasuke, even the five Kage combined were nothing but bugs to him, and Naruto believed that his old age hadn't lessened his power at all. Even in old age at the age of eighty-eight, Naruto was no less powerful and like Sasuke could defeat the five Kage without any hindrances.

Tentō roared a little, catching Naruto's attention where he noticed what appeared to be a dust storm, but Naruto knew better, he was currently flying over the now former Land of Frost, which was destroyed years ago by Naruto and Sasuke during their first titanic battle, and also the land of Sound and the Land of Hot Water were also destroyed and all three countries were nothing more than a scorched barren wasteland, the volcano where Sasuke's prison was located, the very spot the former Hokage defeated his enemy and he created the prison that held Sasuke from scratch.

Naruto then whipped Tentō's reigns where the dragon flew down in front of the dust cloud and was charging straight forward, the dragon and his master then heard a familiar roar which they would never forget, out of the dust storm came the form of a large feline the size of a Bijū, Naruto and Tentō recognising the beast as Yochi, Sasuke's most loyal companion.

Not one to back down to a challenge the dragon just kept on flying towards the tiger and Naruto could see the silhouette of his friend riding atop the tiger. Taking action, Naruto jumped off his dragon with little effort and came flying towards the Uchiha who had little time to react when he saw his old enemy flying towards him, even in his old age Naruto was still an agile opponent. Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the head while Yochi kept on running towards Tentō where the two beasts engaged in another of their brutal fights.

Sasuke was being pummelled to the ground from the shock of Naruto's attack but was able to quickly respond when he wrapped his legs around Naruto's arm and threw off the former blonde. When the Senju leader regained his footing, he could still recognise Sasuke even though the years had not been kind to them.

Sasuke had shoulder length long hair, having lost it's spikiness over time, he also had a long shoulder length goatee and with a shoulder length fu manchu moustache. He wore nothing but rags and dirty bandages from having spent most of his time in prison. But his eyes, they were the same, blood red with nothing but hate in them.

"Guess, I couldn't hide from you for long." stated Sasuke as he brushed his clothing while Naruto stood up to full height.

"You really thought that your jailbreak would go unnoticed." questioned Naruto as he prepared himself to face Sasuke. "And I also heard that you have some new skills of your own."

"I have you to thank for that." spoke Sasuke to his 'friend'. It was ironic that both looked so, old, they were dinosaurs really, but he knew Naruto still had many years to live through because of his Uzumaki lineage, but he had waited too long to get out of that prison and he wasn't going to lose his newfound freedom, he was just beginning to enjoy it. "But you fell for it, again." said Sasuke with a smirk before disappearing in a plume of smoke. When the smoke cleared it revealed that Sasuke had disappeared.

'that wasn't a kage bunshin, it was summoning jutsu, he must have orchestrated his escape years in advance, and I was fool enough to fall into his trap, but it seems as though it would take a few hours before the jutsu activated.' thought Naruto deducing Sasuke's escape method, he could only wonder, 'when' did Sasuke gain his cells, he knew that with his cells, Sasuke's chakra and lifeforce will be amplified to the point that he could be considered a pseudo-Senju, he would also gain a healing factor that allowed him to heal from wounds in seconds and any other abilities the Rokudaime had within his possession, even his coveted Kekki Genkai.

Why must there be so much conflict between him and Sasuke, why must there be so much conflict between the Uchiha and the Senju. He could never wrap his head around it and he never understood why it was so, were the destined to fight each other to the end, were they simply the next in line. His thoughts were beyond him he couldn't understand it.

Being pulled into his mindscape which was a world of nothing but water and light did several voices speak to Naruto.

"**You should have killed him that day, I would have enjoyed killing him**." spoke a deep voice when the old man turned around to see a giant, sandy brown tanuki with blue markings all around it's face and body with a cavernous mouth and unique tar like eyes and a single bushy tail. This beast was Shukaku the Ichibi no Bakedanuki

"**I have to agree with Shukaku, Sasuke represents a threat to everyone in the world, it would have been a virtue in killing him**." spoke another deep voice where a giant ox with four long horns appeared with eight tentacles although one of it's horns was missing.

"**Can someone sharing so much history with one another, kill another even though the world demands it**." said another voice although more feminine where what appeared to be a dolphin horse appeared with five bushy tails.

"**Sasuke has never had respect for the Bijū, just like that brat Madara, though what was the point in sparing him, did you hope to gain something out of it?**" said a another where a giant gorilla like red monkey with four tails appeared.

"**Naruto, as much as you want to deny it, the Sasuke you knew doesn't exist anymore**." said a kind voice where a flaming cat with two tails appeared comforting the old man and the cat was also joined by what appeared to be a turtle with shrimp like tails and a six tailed slug and a seven tailed beatle.

"**The others are right Naruto, Sasuke is gone, unlike the others I am the only one who understands how deep your relationship with that brat is, that brat has caused nothing but pain, to you, to us, everyone, he is a sick dog that must be put down, don't you remember all the times when he didn't hesitate to kill you, so why do you?**" questioned a massive fox with bright orange fur and nine sweeping tails behind, out of all the beasts, Anyone can confirm that the fox and it's vessel were like to peas in a pod, ironically.

"Do any of you have the conviction to kill your brother?" spoke Naruto as he turned around to look upon the nine beasts before him.

"**Naruto, this is different, we have seen it many times, brothers turning upon another simply because of jealousy, it happened with the old man's sons, Indra and Asura, that relationship, mirrors your own with Sasuke. You have to find him, and kill him.**" spoke the fox who Naruto came to know as Kurama.

"No, there's another way, a better way, I understand all of your feelings, but this is something that I have to, it's my problem, I am the only one who can fix it, and bury my sins for good." spoke Naruto with a downcast look on his face.

"**You can always count on us! Saiken happy to help! Naruto best friend after all!**" spoke the giant slug happily which made Naruto smile a little where he saw all the Bijū placing their hands over the other, and Naruto pressed his fist against theirs, giving them a fist bump.

Naruto then found himself back in the real world where he whistled for Tentō who came flying form above.

"Fly Tentō! we make for Konoha!" spoke Naruot as he mounted his dragon who roared before taking to the sky.

When Naruto saw Konoha in sight he immediately descended atop Tentō when he saw his **Very **irate first wife, Sakura, when he was still a teenager Naruto was forced to undergo clan restoration, he ended up marrying five women and had twelve children altogether, which presented him with many headaches but tender moments, though the council was disappointed that none of them inherited his kekki genkai. But having eleven children meant one thing, lots of grandchildren.

Sakura was the the same age as her husband, she wore a plain white kimono with a long obi and sakura blossoms over it, her hair was still pink though dulled in vibrance over the years and she wore her hair up in a small ponytail, though she did carry the cons of old age on her face, just as he had.

"I have a perfectly good excuse." spoke Naruto with a large grin hoping to cool down his steaming wife, and the woman he loved most.

"Do you now, so when you were regaling our beloved grandchildren with your tales of adventure and wow, you received a letter then you up and leave without saying a word." spoke Sakura tapping her foot, even though most of Naruto's grandchildren weren't her grandchildren it created an odd relationship with all of them as they all had six grandmothers and two grandfathers and Sakura regarded them all as her grandchildren.

Naruto getting off Tentō scratched his head in exasperation, a trait he's had since childhood. Suddenly Sakura smirked and Naruto knew that smirk anywhere, he suddenly felt the ground shaking under him and he sweatdropped at the woman.

"OJISAN!" yelled a bunch of voices as various amounts of wind flew past Sakura and the next thing she saw was her husband being dog-piled by numerous children where they formed a hill of giggling bodies and splay limbs and the only visible part of Naruto himself was his hands and feet. But right now Sakura knew that Naruto had more important things to worry about.

* * *

Hagoromo who was watching the entire spectacle could only chuckle at the scene, he remembered the times, his own grandchildren would swarm around him and be their hyper-active selves. But that was just a path, an uncertain future, anything could happen. However, Hagoromo knew, that Naruto's love for that pink haired woman. Shall be his greatest strength.

It was wishful thinking for the moment, that he had finally found the two reincarnations who would put an end to everything, the chosen heir of Ninshū (Naruto) and his most loyal follower (Sasuke).

The cycle would end or it would continue with the actions and choices of Naruto and Sasuke.

**Hey guys sorry I didn't update, a lot of things going on at the moment, so in this chapter, the village discovered Naruto is the jinchuriki, the Uchiha massacre happened, Naruto has an odd connection with the previous clan heads, what power did he use to kill those Kumo nin, Sasuke has fallen into the curse of hatred, yeah a lot of things happened. **

**ok in the next chapter we'll find out what happens to Naruto and Sasuke's relationship as children, what Konoha plans to do with Kumo, the after affects of the village finding out about the jinchuriki all because of those blabbermouth chunin, Sasuke's change in personality, and a llot more.  
**

**Also the scene with old Naruto and Sasuke, is a possible future, not a concrete one, it may or may not happen, thats it. **

**Check out my profile for what the statue room looks like, What old Naruto looks like, what old Sasuke looks like and old Sasuke's prison. **

**Juubiwriter99 is down and out.**


	7. Bonds

**Rebirth of the Two Sons**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Bonds**

Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves, the most powerful, largest and oldest of the Hidden Village's, built upon the foundations of two clans that shunned the ancient war and contempt they had for each other to erect a place where all could call home, inspired by this many other village's soon followed in the steps of Konoha, establishing their own Hidden Villages within each of the great lands. The people of Konoha were among the kindest in the world, they never shunned each other or held hatred amongst themselves for in their hearts was the Will of Fire, the ideal, equally as old as the village, an ideal that sprouted from one of the two founding clans of the village, the Senju clan.

Many of the villager's adhered to the Will of Fire, it guided them, nurtured them, gave them hope, but even with this ideal in their hearts, whenever there was light the would be darkness and the village's darkness took a physical incarnation within it's villagers all of whom directed their anger, guilt and hatred towards one who was damned by his own people for something, that was out of his control, a boy, a descendant of the very clan that founded their village, treated as if he didn't exist. In a moment of desperation and danger, the boy had revealed the dark secret that the village's leader had been harbouring, so now, the boy beloved by all, for his kind heart and joyous personality, treated as if a virulent plague had infested the village, the fear of his power was great, to many he was like a bomb ready to detonate within a heartbeat, and ready to take all of them them to the next life.

Barely a month ago did tragedy strike the village, and fear was rooted within their souls. Fear of the boy, who was currently running around the village with buckets of paint and splotches of the colourful liquid on his clothes, while laughing and giggling to himself as he jumped from roof to roof.

"NARUTO! WHEN YOUR MOTHER HEARS OF THIS YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE!" yelled a Chūnin who was chasing the golden-haired boy around the village, Naruto only laughed more in response. Currently he was wearing a white hooded jacket with orange stripes that was currently wrapped around his waist, with a green shirt underneath with blotches of yellow and red paint, he also wore black pants with sandals and he had green and blue splashes of paint in his hair and on his cheeks. As he turned around and looked at his handiwork, he had written many funny symbols and words on the walls as the villagers and the shinobi wore looking on with clear annoyance etched on his face, he started to run again when he heard what the villagers were saying about him.

"Nothing but a nuisance."

"Guess, the apple did fall far from the tree."

"Can't Hokage-sama see that he's not wanted."

"What is Tsunade-sama thinking, she knows thats not her son anymore right."

"The elders should have more consideration for our well-being."

"I mean letting that 'thing' walk around. We all know he's a danger."

"I mean, those Kumo shinobi died easily, that could be us."

"It's better if he wasn't born."

Naruto then stopped running as he slowed down and stared at the ground with a frown on his face and tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. He didn't understand anything, he couldn't remember what he did to the Kumo ninja that kidnapped him, and even so he didn't know what he had done to earn the people's hatred. People use to laugh at his pranks, now they were now an annoyance to all. Why did they talk as if he wasn't a person? Someone that mattered? He wasn't an 'it' or a 'thing'. He was Naruto Senju! Scion of the Senju clan. So why was he treated with such contempt. To him it felt like he had lost everything. His Best Friend, his village's love, nothing made sense to him anymore, and the more questions he asked himself the more confused he would become.

It had been a month since Naruto was kidnapped by Kumo shinobi and the Uchiha clan was slaughtered, and since that time, it's like everyone's attitude took a complete 180. When he tried to remember the incident the only thing he could remember was being taken to the Land of Lightning and everything went black after that and then he woke up surrounded by blood and bodies, something no child should ever see in their life. No shops would allow him into their stores, his teacher's ignored and punished him for no reason at all, and everywhere he went he was subjected to empty, hate filled eyes, those eyes telling him to go away. His own friends stopped playing with him and they avoided him just like all the other villagers, and their parents would tell them to avoid him and not associate with him at all.

He just didn't understand it. When he asked his own mother, she would change subjects or ignore the question all together and when he asked the Sandaime Hokage he would only give him an excuse as to why he couldn't answer his questions. He hated it, he needed to know why. Gripping his buckets and gritting his teeth did his tears fall, only a few but it was enough to relieve some of the pain for now. He was just Naruto Senju, and yet he felt like he was nothing more than a danger.

He then felt shadow's hover over him as he wiped away his tears as he looked up to see two chūnin with sneers on their faces and one of them had their arms crossed, Naruto merely turned to face them as he dropped the two buckets to the ground, spilling the paint across the ground while he stared into the ground with near-dead eyes. This was now a routine for him. He then felt the two chūnin grip his shoulders and drag him off somewhere.

* * *

At the Senju clan compound, Tsunade was staring into the small pond where she would feed the ducks with her son. Naruto's life wasn't the only one that was changing, Tsunade had also felt the effects of the attempted kidnapping and the whole village discovering that Naruto was the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, when two Chūnin spread word around the whole village of what Naruto was, then did everything change, before Tsunade knew it everything was out of her control, she found her son being the village's glorified Pariah, she had seen it, she wasn't blind, even when she was with her son walking around the village, the glares, the hateful comments, it tore at her heart that a child, her child was being treated in such a way, but because of Naruto mysteriously killing those Kumo shinobi had only increased the villages fear of Naruto. She could see that her child was suffering and there was little she could do about it.

She had questioned many times, why were humans so cruel. Not only was her little boy suffering, but she had lost a close friend in Mikoto Uchiha, the two women became close when Naruto and Sasuke quickly befriended each other, and unlike Naruto, Sasuke was alone, no family to look after him. Her thoughts travelled to the young Uchiha and she couldn't help but feel pity for the boy. She then turned her head when she saw a family of ducks fly into her pond, swimming and bathing in the waters as the frogs hopped on the lily-pads in the water. She wished Jiraiya or Minato were here so to help her, console her.

Because, everything was different now. Tsunade also knew that, as an attempt to make people notice him more, Naruto had become even more mischievous, although all it did was anger the villagers, and they wanted nothing more than for Naruto to disappear, everything was spiralling out of control, the village may be going to war with Kumo for what they did, the village had been weakened because of the Uchiha's clans massacre and the puzzling death of the Kumo shinobi, she had recently conducted an autopsy on how some of the shinobi died. She was going speak to the Sandaime about it later today.

She then felt a shadow and the small sounding of grassed being crushed under feet, she turned her head to the noise and saw her former teacher the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walking up to her, smoking on his pipe as he was dressed in his Hokage attire. Honestly Tsunade expected him to show up sooner rather than later.

"Sensei." said the Senju leader as she turned her brown eyes upon the small pond, looking into the water, while her sensei sat down beside her. Where he removed his funny hat from his head as he exhaled a large breath of air in exasperation. Like Tsunade, the Hokage too had felt the affects of what had transpired the month before. The massacre, the kidnapping, and the identity of the Jinchūriki. It had been too much for the Hokage to handle and now an approaching war with Kumo was about to happen soon.

"I'm... sorry to disturb you, I wanted to see if you were alright. Given everything that has happened." spoke the old Hokage as he stroked his beard. Tsunade noted that he appeared to have aged a bit, maybe from all the stress that had been wrought upon him. However, the Sandaime was able to see that not everything was right as rain with Tsunade, she had dark circles under her eyes and a near-dead look in her orbs, she had some grey streaks in her hair and her form was downcast and just dull-looking.

"You wanted to know about the autopsy." stated Tsunade to which Hiruzen nodded as he turned his eyes upon the water of the pond as the ducks played happily, blissfully unaware of the unhappy state both parties were in. Tsunade then took out something from her coats pocket and placed it in her teacher's palm, who raised his eyebrow at it. When he got a good look at it, it was a simple evidence bag, but within the bag was a jagged, silver metal shard with dots of blood on it. He raised his other eyebrow at it again and then looked over to Tsunade who merely nodded at him. "Multiple metal shards were lodged in their bodies and piercing their vital organs. About half of the shinobi had those metal shards in them, it belongs to the metal family, iron. They were so sharp that they even cut apart every evidence bag we placed them in, until we filed down their sharp edges just to put it into that bag and they were highly durable, even a grindstone barely filed them down." The Sandaime merely nodded at her, before handing the iron fragment back to Tsunade.

"And the others?" questioned the Sandaime to which Tsunade looked at him with a dull loo.

"It's fairly obvious what killed them, branches piercing their bodies." spoke Tsunade, confirming the Sandaime's suspicions. Abut it didn't explain anything, the Hokage had some good guesses but without proof or confirmation then it was mere speculation at this point.

"Also, Tsunade, the elders are holding a meeting, regarding the hostilities between Konoha and Kumo, as a member of the elders, you're required to be there. This is a urgent matter that needs tending to." spoke the Sandaime to which Tsunade nodded. "But, how are you feeling... Tsunade?" queried the Sandaime as he saw some tears trail down Tsunade's cheeks and landing on the back of her hands.

"He's suffering... he's suffering... and there's nothing I can do. I've never felt this way before! And I don't know what to do!" squeaked Tsunade as she let her tears fell with the Sandaime placing his hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her, her suffering, was nothing compared to her son's where everyday he would come home, with his shoulders slumped and his form downcast, every night, she would hear him cry out his eyes in anguish, she couldn't do anything that could help and when she tried, her son would just brush her off. "I wish this never happened! That everything would be just fine! I can't even tell him why he's experiencing this! There's nothing I can do!" cried Tsunade as she let her tears flow. She just wanted everything back to the way it was. Before everything.

Her crying finally finished she brushed way her tears with the sleeves of her haori and steeled herself for the time being.

Then both the Sandaime and Tsunade felt a presence where they turned to see two Chūnin holding Naruto by his shoulders with the same look he had on his face, every single day since the kidnapping. Getting up Tsunade walked over to the Chūnin who let go of Naruto where she embraced her son in a warm hug as he hugged her back.

"Keep that 'thing' on a shorter leash next time." spat one of the Chūnin as Tsunade openly glared at them where she quickly told her son to wash himself so to get the paint out of his spiky hair. She then turned to the Chūnin and threatened them to leave to which they did so and quickly as a pissed off Tsunade was not something they could contend with. Unfortunately that was only mild compared to the words of the other villager's.

She then held her face in her hand, as her teacher comforted her some more.

* * *

Later that same day, Tsunade, Hiruzen, and Hiruzen's two advisor's Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado where seated around a table where the four elders were talking about their relations with Kumo and the approaching threat of war. The Four had just recently arrived and were now talking about whether or not what course of action they would take in regards to Kumo. The topic had been a heated discussion amongst the villagers for some time. They were mainly enraged at the fact that Kumo attempted to duplicate another Hyūga affair at the moment, half the village was calling for Kumo's blood while the other half wished to incriminate the village and leak the attempted underhanded tactic to the other village's.

"We have every right to wage war with Kumo, for attempting to take our Bijū and the heir of the Senju clan, they already tried something like this action before with the Hyūga heiress, Hinata. We were able to avert the crisis because of Hizashi Hyūga's sacrifice." spoke Koharu as she remembered the tumultuous times of the Hyūga affair. The whole thing was a mess from start to finish. Konoha nor Kumo came out of that situations unscathed. Konoha lost an outstanding shinobi and hero that day, while Kumo's reputation was sullied from that day forth with many other village's and countries becoming untrusting towards them.

"But unlike that time, where they quickly pinned the blame on us for the violation of the treaty, this time they were caught in the act and we have all the proof we need to snuff them from the earth. They have no basis to accuse us or to defend themselves. They know what they did and we also know, they can't deny the accusations and they know it. Either we go to war or we cripple Kumo with this news." spoke Homura making Koharu and Hiruzen nod as what he said was true, but Hiruzen knew that there must be another way to avert this crisis, a peaceful way where both village's prosper.

"But even if we commit to going to war, we will be losing shinobi for nothing, we have only just recovered from the Kyūbi attack, we can't afford another war, we simply don't have the manpower. And Kumo is in a tricky situation as it is. No one will support them even if we go to war." spoke Tsunade trying to be a voice of reason just as her teacher was.

"We have to do something than sit on our asses. We need compensation, for what they did, perhaps we can set up an alliance between Kumo, one that doesn't require bloodshed or incrimination. We need to a way for Kumo to commit to Konoha without having to force them. Perhaps an arranged marriage." spoke Koharu as she turned to Homura who nodded at her, an arranged marriage betwee their villages would cement their ties together, it would have to be individuals coming form the families of the respective Kage.

"I'm sure it's a move Kumo will also agree with. The two village's can build good relations with the joining of the two individuals. And the legacy of their kages would be joined together as a physical embodiment of our new alliance. It may be an old practice, unused since the warring states, but it's still an effective one... We know Kumo want to avoid war, we want to avoid war, through this marriage, we will gain a powerful ally, Kumo has very few allies and many of the village's will be looking at them with a careful eye. The benefits of such a union will be great. What do you think of this Hiruzen." spoke Homura making Koharu and Tsunade nod at him, to which the blonde woman was in full-agreement.

"Such a union, will surely benefit us greatly, however, the only problem is the candidates. We of course need two candidates, around the same age and both who have strong ties to their respective kages. Tsunade, you may object to this, but as Naruto was the one to be kidnapped I wish to advocate him as one of the candidates." said Hiruzen to which he was met with Tsunade's death-dealing glare.

"Absolutely not. I will not have you practically sell my son to Kumo, and I don't want him to marry some slut Kumo picks off their streets. I wanted my little boy to marry who he wanted." roared Tsunade to her teacher to which he plugged his fingers into his ears as she roared at him while Homura and Koahru's ears were ringing from the loud noise.

"They won't marry right now, Naruto is still far too young, and I doubt Kumo will send some random person off of the street. Let the other candidate become accustomed to Konoha first and then Naruto and the girl they send will be wed, sealing an alliance with Kumo through blood. And whether you wish to deny it, Naruto has strong ties to three of the four Hokage, one of which is his own father." spoke Hiruzen trying to justify his reasons to Tsunade. "And there's a way for all of us to get what we all want, and for Naruto to get what he wants and you will also object to this Tsunade...C.R.A (Clan Restoration Act)."

"Hmm, not a bad idea Hiruzen, unfortunately with the Senju clans numbers being near the edge of extinction, it would be best to boost their numbers, the same will also apply with the Uchiha clan. What do you think of this, Tsunade?" questioned Homura as he stared at the Senju clan head who merely bit her lip in anger. What he said was true, aside from herself and Naruto, they were the only living members of the mighty Senju clan, but to revive the clan had never been one of her goals, before her son was even born, all she wanted for him was a normal and quiet life, that went down the drain when he became the Jinchūriki and it was certainly impossible for him now, now that his status was known to the entire village. However, she also knew that the shinobi council of clan heads will probably undermine her and Hiruzen's authority and will place Naruto within the act, therefore there was nothing she could do to stop the C.R.A.

"So long as he is happy, then simply put it I'm happy." spoke Tsunade with a grunt as she rubbed her temples.

"But we have one more problem." spoke Koharu, gathering everyone's attention while Hiruzen knew what she was going to say, something that was yet unresolved. "Kumo attempted to take our Bijū, whether they knew of this or not doesn't matter, we will demand even more compensation for this act. Simply put we will demand-" however Koharu was silenced from speaking by antoher voice standing near the door.

"Another Bijū." said the voice where everyone in the room turned to see Danzō Shimura hobbling on his cane, his stalwart face never moving for a single moment, for Tsunade and Hiruzen, the air in the room had just gotten colder with the arrival of the old war-hawk. "For trying to take our Bijū we will demand one of their own Bijū for compensation." continued Danzō as he stood before all four parties of the elders with Homura and Koharu nodding in agreement at his 'idea'.

"But Kumo have been possessive of their Bijū since my grandfather distributed the Nibi and the Hachibi to them, they won't just hand one of their Bijū over on a silver platter." spoke Tsunade arguing with Danzō that it was a foolish. "And unless you have forgotten, one of their jinchūriki just happens to have attained full control of his Tailed Beast."

"The Raikage isn't a fool, he makes foolish choices with severe consequences yes, but he knows that he can't escape from the situation he has placed himself in. Simply put it, we threaten Kumo with the possibility of war and incrimination, with this in mind, the Raikage has no choice but to hand over one of his Bijū or risk his village being destroyed or his village falling into economic ruin. With this, not only do we gain a powerful ally through Kumo with the arranged marriage but a powerful weapon in the form of another Bijū." spoke Danzō citing his reasons and making Homura and Koharu nod in agreement at what he was saying, what Danzō was saying would surely replace the power vacuum left behind by the Uchiha massacre by replacing them with a bijū.

"This can very well work in our favour Hiruzen, it would be best to send these terms to Kumo, sue for peace and with that we gain favourable compensation." spoke Koharu to which Hiruzen exhaled a deep breath of defeat as his advisors nailed him into the ground, with Tsunade shaking her head at the elders, disagreeing with their scheme.

"We will sue for peace, and demand an arranged marriage and a Bijū for compensation. I will send these terms to the Sandaime Raikage." said Hiruzen as he got out of his chair and left the room where he headed for his office to right a message for the Raikage. Tsunade merely retreated back to her compound and the elders went their separate ways for the time being.

* * *

At Kumogakure the Sandaime Raikage was reading over a message that had been sent from Konoha, suing for peace and demanding compensation from their village, the Raikage's first instincts would have been to deny any and all accusations of what they had done, but Konoha had the bodies and eye witnesses, detailing how they had kidnapped the Senju heir. The Raikage couldn't go done the same road that led to the Hyūga affair, the fact is, Konoha had caught them red handed and now Kumo was in situation they couldn't claw out of.

His next instinct told him to refuse the demands of Konoha, no Kage would ever bend his knee to another outside of the field of battle, it was shameful and to the Raikage it meant that he was acknowledging weakness, something no true shinobi would ever do, the only time a shinobi would acknowledge weakness was when his hands were bloody, his body stained and he was spitting his weakness in his enemies face as a last act of defiance. But Konoha had gotten the upper-hand on that area too, as they could instead incriminate his village greatly, no one will hire a village that sought power by using under-handed tactics. Honour had a large influence in the shinobi world after all.

The Sandaime Raikage had little else to do, the only thing he could do was give in to Konoha's terms and hope for the best, but he knew that if Danzō Shimura had his way then things would become bloody real quickly and the Raikage had lost enough of his shinobi for this mission, not only that he also feared the rising might of the Senju heir, the Raikage of course wondered how a young child, not even a shinobi, hell not even a genin could kill an entire team of some of his finest shinobi and in such a manner, Konoha was also gracious enough to send autopsy reports of his dead shinobi and what he had read shocked him, it also informed him of how they were found, and to think a child could do such a thing, back during the warring states children were trained from a young age to kill other shinobi. Even the talented child-shinobi were able to best adults with twice their experience on the battle-field. The Raikage knew not to ever underestimate the power of the Senju clan, that family of shinobi were capable of anything, producing some of the greatest ninja to ever live, especially the clan's most famous member, Hashirama Senju, the Shodaime Hokage, the man's power, so vast that he was a god of shinobi. And it seemed that his descendant, his great-grandson, Naruto Senju, had inherited the same potential, the Raikage would have to keep his eye on that boy in the future, lest he become a being, greater than the Shodaime or becoming something else entirely.

Quickly calling for his assistant and his advisors the Raikage waited in his office in the village hidden amongst the clouds.

So now, his advisors as well as his son were standing in front of him while he was sitting in his chair.

"So these are Konoha's terms."

"This is asking too much, the marriage contract will be of little problem, but a bijū?!"

"We can't give Konoha another weapon, they already have the Kyūbi, who knows how much more power they will gain if we hand over another Bijū."

"But unless we agree to these terms then we won't have a village anymore."

A, the son of the Raikage was merely standing shaking his head. He never expected that Konoha would demand something like this, if they could only deny their involvement in the mess like they did with the Hyūga affair then they could have gotten out unscathed from the whole mess, and he too felt responsible as he sent his team in and they came out dead. But A, unlike his father could see the positives of such a thing, they would gain a powerful ally in Konoha with the arranged marriage along with the power of their own Bijū, then should Kumo ever find itself surrounded by enemies, then Konoha would come. And thus the problem would be solved, and Konoha never abandoned it's allies to their enemies.

"Dad, watch should we do?" questioned A hoping his father was following along with his train of thought, to which the Raikage didn't respond. He was thinking, the whole problem, over and over again, but there was no way to win unless they surrendered to Konoha's terms.

"We'll give them what they want." spoke the Raikage which made all the advisor's in the room fall utterly silent from hearing their leader's words, never in the history of Kumo has the Sandaime ever been so reasonable. The man was stubborn as a rock, you couldn't make him budge and here he was just bowing his head to Konoha. But that look in his eye, he was daring all those around him, to challenge him, usurp him. He wanted the people in the room to shout at him, to call him crazy, that would give him the excuse to kill them. So the advisor's did what they were meant to do. They advised. "We will hand over one of our tailed beasts to Konoha, the Nibi to be more precise. Yugito is still young, she has much to learn about the world she lives in and the people within it, but I think Konoha would be more of an appropriate environment for her to tame the beast residing in her hide, Konoha has some of the greatest Fūinjutsu masters in the world and I have the word of the Sandaime Hokage that she will be cared for. And I already have someone in mind, who will be a perfect candidate for this arranged marriage, she's a few years older than the Senju heir, at least two years, but she's the great-granddaughter of the Shodaime Raikage and has potential to be a strong kunoichi, she also possesses the powerful kekki genkai Ranton (Storm release), her name is Mabui, if you didn't already know. The arrangements have already been made, she will marry the Senju heir, Naruto Senju when he reaches the age of eighteen and she will be one of his wives, seeing as how Konoha has informed me that he was placed within the C.R.A and like Yugito I have been promised that she will be cared for."

All A and the Advisor's could do was nod their heads at the Raikage's choices, they were pleased that he wasn't handing over the Hachibi to Konoha and settled for the weaker and untrained Nibi, while the choice of Mabui as a bride was wise, considering that Konoha would have wanted someone from a prominent Kage family, so the logical choice would be someone from the Shodaime's lineage rather than the Nidaime or the Sandaime.

"Now then, are there any questions?" queried the Raikage to which everyone in the room just shook their heads to which the Raikage was pleased about.

* * *

At the gates of Kumogakure, two young girls, were being accompanied by a squad of Kumo's ANBU black ops. The two girls were young, one appeared to be around the age of ten while the other looked to be seven or eight years old.

One of the girls was dark-skinned with dark green eyes, she was wearing a high-collared, green shirt with a green skirt that matched her eyes, she had light grey hair that was stylised into a bun and she wore brown wrist-bands and brown sandals, at the moment, she was frowning and had a solemn look on her face, she was being forced out of her village to another where she would marry someone she didn't even know. Although her parents had instilled into her that as a shinobi she had to follow the orders of her village, and as a descendant of the Shodaime Raikage she would do just that.

The other girl was light-skinned with violet eyes, she was shorter than the other girl at least a head smaller, she had light, long blonde hair that was tied into a loose-ponytail. She was currently wearing a purple jacket with long sleeves, a short red skirt with black shorts underneath, black sandals. However unlike the other girl Mabui she was balling her eyes out at having to leave her parents behind. At the moment she was crying into her mother's shoulder with her father comforting her as best as he could. Mabui's parents were merely saying that they would miss her.

Just then the Sandaime Raikage appeared with his son A and the Hachibi jinchūriki B, who also said farewell to his fellow jinchūriki, Yugito. The Sandaime then gave specific orders to the ANBU team that they would head to the border of the Land of Lightning where they would meet up with a Konoha ANBU team that would take custody of the girls and escort them to Konoha. And with that said the Kumo ANBU took the hands of Yugito and Mabui and soon they left the village, with the two girls, probably never returning to their homes.

* * *

At Konoha the Hokage was waiting by the gate for the new arrivals to his village, with him was Tsunade, who he was speaking to about the girl's living conditions, Tsunade had volunteered to house one of the girls in her home, Yugito, to be more precise, Sarutobi felt it was wise to keep the jinchūriki in one place so to allow them to bond as both must have had similar experiences with their jinchūriki status being known. Mabui would be staying in a nice neighbourhood, where all her needs would be met, and she would be watched over by the shinobi who live in the part of the village, giving her company when she needs it.

"So tell me about the Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii." spoke Tsunade to which Hiruzen nodded as it was a sensible question, Tsunade wanted to know what Yugito was like so Tsunade could cater to her needs and give her a safe environment in the compound, Yugito was Naruto's age and since Tsunade was a mother herself she could shower the girl with all affection the jinchūriki needed. Plus, Tsunade always wanted a daughter, even though she hadn't adopted Yugito. It would be a nice experience for her.

"Hmm, given the information the Raikage gave me, Yugito is eight years old, she likes to play the shamisen and she is rather good, her favourite food is tekkadon and milk while she dislikes anything spicy, she is also quite modest as you will soon see for yourself and polite, though she has trouble talking about her true feelings, possibly an effect of isolation within her village, and she's sensitive, getting upset a lot, a rather unlucky trait for someone like her." spoke Hiruzen to which Tsunade nodded, she deduced while it would take some time for Yugito to adjust to her new home and to talk about her feelings, Tsunade was confident that she could open up her shell, but other than that, Yugito seemed like a pleasant girl and Tsunade could only hope that Naruto and Yugito got along since the two of them would be able to understand each other in ways no one else can.

"And what of the other girl, Naruto's unknowing betrothed, Mabui was it?" continued Tsunade to which Hiruzen nodded again, like Yugito he had been told of Mabui beforehand and her current skills as a shinobi, he was sure that Danzō would be jumping on the spot or frothing at the mouth at the introduction of a new kekki genkai within the village. He would actually pay to see that image. For Mabui it would be harder to adjust because she was going to be living alone for a long time, Hiruzen would of course visit her and give her an allowance so to support herself, in fact he had already enrolled her into the academy, despite joining late he was certain she could catchup to her peers. The best way to handle Mabui was to give her what she wanted and time to adjust to her new home.

"Mabui, as you know, is the great-granddaughter of the Shodaime Raikage, she is ten years old and already has training as a shinobi because of Kumo's more militant approach to their shinobi. She likes reading, in-fact she's a reading enthusiast and visits libraries and book stores regularly and she likes baking, something which the Raikage told me she's good at. She likes peaches and dried persimmon while she dislikes plums. She's quite friendly and serious at the same time as well as formal for someone of her up-bringing, though takes her shinobi training seriously though otherwise a formal and nice-girl." spoke the Hokage as he looked up at the bright blue sky, watching the clouds hover over him. To Tsunade Mabui sounded like a nice girl, and she was pleased that the girl took her training seriously unlike the recent kunoichi coming out of the academy getting the horrid nickname 'fangirls' or otherwise known as 'walking idiots'. But other than that Tsunade was glad they had chosen was seemed like a responsible girl.

Soon the two parties could see the shadows, approaching them, Tsunade could make out the silhouette of the ANBU and two smaller silhouettes that Tsunade believed to be the two girls from Kumo. When they finally made it to the gate, the girls seemed a little nervous to see such large gates in front of them.

But when they saw the smiling faces of Sarutobi and Senju some of their nervousness dissipated for now at the moment, seeing the Hokage and head of the Senju clan in front of them the two girls bowed down to the old shinobi and the sannin. However the two of them merely said it was unneeded. With that said, the ANBU team disappeared into the village leaving the girl's alone with the two elders.

"Mabui, please come with me, I'll be taking you to your new home." said Hiruzen as he guided Mabui to her new home in the village.

"Yugito, follow me, you'll be living in the Senju compound with me and my son." and with those words Tsunade took Yugito's hand and escorted her to the compound where she would be staying. On the way Yugito saw the sights all around and noted many times that Konoha looked nothing like Kumo, everyone was smiling with other and wishing each other thanks while she saw less shinobi on the streets unlike Kumo where they had shinobi on every single street but the one thing that stood out from all of it was the fact that no one was whispering hateful things about her or looking at her with hateful eyes. She then looked up at Tsunade who merely smiled down at the girl.

* * *

Mabui meanwhile was trailing after the Hokage and like Yugito she was inspecting the new world around her though with a much more discernible eye and less awe. However this place was much different from her home and it was an entire new experience for her, she felt like a lamb that had wondered away from the flock and was surrounded by predators. But she had to quell her fears and adjust just as if she was a lamb trying to return to the flock. She also saw how lax the people were, at Kumo everyone felt like they were preparing for an attack but the people felt oddly at ease that it baffled the young girl.

"Now, Mabui, I have already enrolled you into the academy and you will be starting tomorrow, I have already told the teacher of your enrolment and he seems delighted to meet you, unfortunately you need to catch up on your studies as our education is different than it is in Kumo, but I believe that won't be a problem, do you have any questions or worries?" said the Hokage to which Mabui bit her lip in nervousness at talking to the leader of the village as if he was a friend.

"No, I have no questions, just, where's the library." said Mabui as she hefted the bag on her shoulders a little to which the old Hokage smiled.

"It's not too far from your new home and the academy is a little further but you won't have any problems finding it." said Hiruzen to which the dark-skinned girl nodded her head a little at the man. They soon arrived at an apartment in a nice part of the village and she was ushered in where she explored the place a little, the kitchen was fully stocked with food, none of her favourite but enough to get by, the bathroom had all the necessities such as soap and a toothbrush and she had a nice soft bed with an empty closest, it was a cozy place with a nice warm touch to it, though she did notice that there was an envelope on her dining room table filled with money. "That is your allowance, I'll visit every week to hand deliver it to you, make sure you spend it wisely. If you have any other questions or troubles, you can usually find me in the Hokage tower." said Hiruzen before he left leaving Mabui nodding and sorting her clothes in her closet.

* * *

Tsunade and Yugito meanwhile had made it to the Senju clan compound. She awed a little at the tall gates emblazoned with clan's symbol before Tsunade opened it up, Yugito awed even more at the large scenery, however, she was of course told that there were rooms she couldn't enter, rooms sacred to the clan, when she was told of this Yugito merely nodded. She also noted that the Senju clan had a large dragon motif as many paintings were dragons, decorating their walls and they had a few statues of dragons. But other than that is was vastly different from her home with her parents in Kumo. She also admired the small pond where Tsunade would spend most of her time in the compound and Yugito also admired the serene air in the compound.

However her sight seeing was interrupted when she thought she saw something slithering towards her, but the thing is, it was slithering 'right' towards her.

It was a snowy white-

"SNAKE!" yelled Yugito as she ducked behind Tsunade's leg as the 'snake' came slinking towards her. However she felt Tsunade patting her head as the Senju matriarch lowered herself to the ground and picked up the 'snake'.

"Tentō, you wouldn't happen to know where Naru-chan is?" asked Tsunade to which the dragon nodded and opened it's wings up flying around the Senju matriarch.

Yugito noticed that it wasn't a snake at all as snakes couldn't fly, she knew this animal anywhere, it was a fearsome creature of deified status, the dragon, a living breathing dragon, the young jinchūriki couldn't believe that a dragon was actually alive, she had believed that the last dragon was slain decades before her own birth. At that moment Tentō noticed the newcomer in his lair, and landed atop Yugito on her head where her head had trouble holding him up as his body was as thick as her neck and long enough to easily wrap himself around her slim neck. Tentō then lowered his head to look Yugito in the eye... upside down... where bright blue eyes met violet ones. Tentō then licked Yugito's nose making the girl giggle a little at her nose being tickled. Tentō then flew off Yugito and landed on Tsunade's shoulders where she petted the reptile.

"He likes you." commented Tsunade with Yugito nodding at her with a smile, Tsunade felt like this was progress as Yugito had yet to utter a single word since she first arrived, most likely she was a little shy at seeing all the new faces, but once she met her son, she expected that to fade away quickly as he made friends quickly.

Tsunade showed Yugito the bathroom, the kitchen, training area and every other room she was allowed in before finally taking her to her own room, where she would be staying. She then left Yugito to her own devices as she settled within her room, while Tsunade went to look for Naruto and he was probably at the training ground, because thats where Tentō flew off to.

Tsunade then arrived to see Naruto practicing his shuriken training and he had improved from the last time she saw him as he was able to hit the post with two shuriken out of six. That was another thing as Naruto struggled at the simplest shinobi skill, but she expected it disappear as Jiraiya suffered from the same thing when he was a kid, until he's now the strongest of the sannin as his talent later revealed itself.

"Naru-chan!" called out Tsunade to which Naruto turned to face his mother with a smile on his face. "There's someone I want you to meet." Naruto then ran towards his mother where she guided him towards a special someone. Tsunade then called out for Yugito where the blonde haired girl ran around a corner to see the busty Senju walking towards her with a golden haired boy with blue eyes and three whiskers upon his cheek.

"Yugito, this is my son, Naruto. Naruto this is Yugito she will be staying with us from now on." said Tsunade where she saw Naruto smile and walking up to Yugito offering his hand.

"Hi Yugito, I'm Naruto, nice to meet you." said the Senju heir, Yugito then timidly shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you too." said Yugito as some nervousness was still seen on her face though was trying to smile a little.

"Yugito is new here Naru-chan, and she'll be in your class at the academy, so show her around and be nice to her alright. I think you two will have more in common than you think." said Tsunade before she wandered off to tend to some things in the compound.

"Do you wanna do anything Yugito?" said Naruto to which Yugito nodded and the young girl said she would like to train and Naruto showed her the training ground where they practiced their shuriken for the rest of the day, one thing that developed between the two of them that would certainly last forever, was a friendly rivalry.

* * *

The next day, Naruto and Yugito were heading for the academy, it would be Yugito's first day and since she didn't know the way, Naruto decided to show her the way, since their first meeting the day before, Yugito became more relaxed around Naruto from spending time with the Senju heir. However she was nervous about meeting all her other peers and fellow students, she was from Kumo and they were from Konoha, those two things combined created enough tension that you could cut it with a knife. She wondered what they were like, Naruto told her that most of the students were in fact clan heirs from various clans all around the village. From what Yugito knew that the Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara, Aburame, Inuzuka, Hyūga, Uchiha and Senju clans. She didn't know much about the clans of Konoha aside from the Hyūga, Uchiha and Senju clans, she of course knew about the Hyūga clan, so it would be best to be careful around the Hyūga heiress.

Naruto seemingly sensing her nervousness attempted to calm her mind with some kind words.

"Don't worry, Yugito, I'm sure you'll make friends in no time." spoke Naruto with a smile on his face making Yugito also smile at him with a dust of pink on her cheeks.

When they made it to class, Yugito could see all the assorted faces, in different rows. Some stood out more than others, such as a boy with tattoo's on his cheeks and a puppy on his head, personally Yugito hated dogs, I know the irony, there was also a dark blue haired girl with large white eyes, staring intently at Naruto, Yugito knew immediately what the kind of girl this was. She could also see a brooding boy wearing glasses and a jacket sitting in the corner, playing with bugs presumably. There was also a pink-haired girl that like the other girl, had her eyes trained on Naruto, but she kept hers more well-hidden, but still quite the exotic hair.

The two Jinchūriki then sat next to each other by a table near the window where they saw the day go by with the villager's enjoying their day and lives to their fullest. Just then Yugito an Naruto heard the sound of... swooning? Where they looked to see many girls giggling, blushing and pointing at a boy who just walked in, Naruto instantly scowled and squinted his eyes in a somewhat comical manner. Yugito only stared ahead at what the girls were staring at, to see a boy with black hair which was spiky at the back with two bangs framing his face. His eyes told the truth as they were dull, seemingly bored with everything around him, he obviously didn't consider anyone in the room his equal as when the other girl would say hello, he would rudely grunt to them, to which it made them feint. For Yugito, she knew that such behaviour in her home village was frowned upon and was always and quickly disposed of.

Just then the two Jinchūriki turned their heads to see their teacher, Iruka Umino walk through the door with a book under his arm and a smile on his face.

"Good morning class, today I'm happy to introduce to you a new student, Yugito do you want to introduce yourself." spoke Iruka where he looked toward Yugito who nodded softly at him before standing up and saying her name and a small hello, before sitting back down again with a smiling and nodding Iruka. "Now then class, today we will be practicing our taijutsu with spars and learning more about the history of our village." spoke Iruka making nearly the entire class groan, especially a specific Nara clan heir who found the whole thing troublesome to begin with.

"Now then, can any of you tell me the specific details of the Shodaime Hokage's exclusive kekki genkai, Wood release." questioned Iruka as he looked out across his class, who were busy chatting away to their friends. When the teacher cleared his throat to get their attention, he was met with the same result. So unintentionally using his demonic head jutsu, Iruka's head expanded five times it's size where he roared at the class. "Quiet down you, neanderthals!" yelled the teacher where everybody respectively silenced their talking. However, Naruto was gripping his head a little in pain, for what he didn't know.

"Now then, I will say it again, can any of you tell me the specific details of the Shodaime Hokage's exclusive kekki genkai, Wood release." and with those words Naruto's head started hurting some more, he saw images that were blurry but still appeared to be discernible. He could recall what happened a month prior, his attempted kidnapping, he could see the Kumo shinobi, screaming, bleeding, the trees in the area seemingly attacked them, and shiny hail? Were penetrating their bodies and tearing them into pieces, other than that, he could barely see that his hands were bloodied and his form caked in the red liquid, the images, shocked and horrified him, just how coud he ever do such a thing to a person, he almost felt like he was a monster that needed to be killed. Then in a moment, the pain and the memories stopped when Naruto heard a voice breaking him from his stupor.

"Huh, what was that Iruka-sensei?" questioned the blonde boy where he saw his teacher looking straight at him, tapping his foot on the ground in relative annoyance at the student.

"Naruto you should know about this, more than anyone. What were the specific details and abilities of Wood release." queried Iruka to which Naruto nodded, flinching a bit trying not to remember the incident.

"Why bother asking, it's not like he'll ever be a shinobi. Unless you have talent and skill, you might as well fall on your own kunai." said one of the civilian born students in the class who was a known bully to Naruto, with that said Naruto tightened his fist in anger, while Yugito next to him frowned.

"I dare you to say that again asshole!" Said Naruto standing up and raising his fists slightly in a threatening manner and his aura radiating anger at the bully who also stood up, meeting Naruto's challenge.

"I don't have to repeat the truth!" said the boy and Naruto was tempted to just jump over the desks and punch him in the mouth if it wasn't for Iruka restraining Naruto before the blonde did anything drastic.

"Alright! That's enough out of the both of you!" said Iruka as Naruto fumed on the spot while the bully gave him a smug smile before sitting back down and Naruto planting himself firmly in his seat, thinking of ways to outdo everyone's expectations of him. He wasn't a loser, the disgrace of the Senju clan, he would show them, she would show all of them that he had the potential to surpass even his ancestor, Hashirama. He hated being treated in such a way, as if he had no chance to achieve his dreams, he wanted to be Hokage more than anything in the world and get the respect of the people and his comrades once again. He wasn't a 'thing' nor was he the 'disgrace of the Senju'. He would be the shinobi that all shinobi would aspire to be, he would rebuild his clan, stronger than ever, prouder than before, they would wear their symbol with pride as they roar into combat. His clan would no longer be a joke because of him, he heard the whispers people would say about him, his mother, his clan. He hated it, it was all because of him. From this day, another of his dreams is to rebuild his clan. But first he had to wait a few years.

Unaware that he was being watched by a pair of emerald green eyes that belonged to Sakura Haruno, who watched the whole scenario unfold, she couldn't help but be hurt by the words of the bully, she like everyone else had watched Naruto struggle to improve himself, it's not to say that he wasn't making progress, it was just slow. She wanted to help him, she really did, but somehow her parents forbade her from talking to him or even being in his presence as if they feared him for some reason, that has yet to be explained to her. Also she noticed the new girl, Yugito sitting next to Naruto, of course, Sakura being a pre-teen girl felt a twinge of jealousy at the blonde haired girl, but she didn't jump to conclusions, she was more level-headed than that, but she did wonder at their relationship and that certainly made Sakura feel a little bit of hopelessness.

* * *

Later that day the entire class was brought out to the sparring yard in the academy where the various children would be judged on their taijutsu prowess and skill, naturally the teacher would be the referee and would ensure that nothing too harsh would happen, as many of the civilian children were jealous of the clan heirs, because of their higher amount of experience being trained early on to lead the clan in their parents absence. Iruka to this day was still surprised at the large amount of clan heirs in his class and most from prominent and powerful ones to boot, especially the most powerful clans in the village, Uchiha, Hyūga and Senju. Sometimes he would brag about how his students were to the other teachers but that wasn't important at the moment.

And he was also proud at the level of potential his entire class had, many said that there wouldn't be such a finer generation in the village, not since the end of the third shinobi world war. Of course Iruka had seen many a fine shinobi go through the academy, Konoha produced some of the most powerful ninja to ever walk the earth, including the Hokage's. And he felt that this batch showed the most promise. Then the teacher's eyes fell on one Naruto Senju, heir of the Senju clan and unknowing Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, Iruka had been informed that Naruto did not know about the fox inside of him, because of the trauma that happened less than a month ago had strained Naruto's mind that he couldn't remember the events because of the trauma.

At first, when Iruka had found out that Naruto harboured the beast that killed his parents and made his life harder to live with, Iruka hated Naruto and his entire existence, he just wanted him gone like everybody else in the village, he treated him as nothing more than a pest that should be ignored, and it was also awkward for the teacher, to be instructing the boy not only that he was untalented, unskilled he couldn't do anything right which was strange as he hailed from the most powerful clan in the world. But Iruka had seen Naruto's trials throughout the month, he could see how much suffering the boy was going through the amount of hatred the villager's had for him, he knew, but he experienced something similar himself, he understood not growing up with a father, not having the people look at you like or person or even noticing you, resorting to childish antics just to get their attention. Thats why he wanted to be strict with the Senju heir, forceful to make his potential flourish, as the teacher hoped that Naruto would overcome this stumbling block of his. And of course he was naturally weary of the mysterious power used by the blonde, when he killed the Kumo shinobi, no one in the village could explain it, how did an academy student, who was barely even a genin somehow kill an entire squad of Kumo shinobi in such a brutal way, most shinobi couldn't even do such a thing and the way they died created much suspicion in the village as most believed it was the Kyūbi's work and power, however Iruka had his doubts about the subject, perhaps there was more than meets in the eye surrounding the blonde Senju hair and Jinchūriki.

"Ok now, today we will have you spar against each other in a controlled environment where we can assess your abilities, now the rules, no extreme harm, this is a spar not a death battle should I judge that the spar has become dangerous I will step in and break it up, no jutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu are prohibited and so are dōjutsu are also prohibited and will result in immediate cancellation of the spar and a punishment afterwards for breaking the rules. And if you are pushed out of the ring, you lose. Now then at the beginning of the spar, you make the seal of confrontation to signal engagement and at the end, the seal of reconciliation to be used to show the two combatants are still comrades after sparring." spoke Iruka explaining the rules to which everyone in the class nodded at their teacher. Clearly understanding the rules of the spar. "Ok, will anyone like to volunteer?" seeing nobody raising their hand did Iruka sweatdrop at the lack of motivation and enthusiasm. "Ok will Hinata Hyūga and Yugito Nii please step forward." with that said the two girls walked forward onto the sparring circle where the two faced each other and made the seal of confrontation. Both girls were havving their thoughts overcome them, Yugito could only see a girl who lacked self-confidence and was utterly shy with those around her, and this was the heiress of one of the strongest clans in Konoha?

Hinata meanwhile was wondering just how strong the new girl Yugito could be, Hinata could tell that the girl she was sparring with had more confidence in her abilities than her, and because of her father's harsh training it left a great lack of confidence, of course she was trying hard to overcome these flaws it would still fail her at times.

"Begin!" yelled Iruka where the two girls rushed at each other where Yugito aimed a punch at Hinata who ducked under it and aimed for a palm strike which Yugito strafed away and tried an axe kick for Hinata. Making a little squeak Hinata moved out of the way of the kick however, she didn't notice that the axe kick was merely a feint and was instead a diversion for Yugti's real attack where the blonde haired girl, kicked Hinata in the chest that sent her a bit away and near the edge of the ring.

Hinata brought her arms up again to block another kick but where her arms caught the brunt of the attack an the Hyūga girl was pushed out of the ring by the jinchūriki.

"Winner! Yugito Nii!" yelled Iruka where Hinata got up off the ground and dusted herself off from all the dirt that was on her clothing. She later joined Yugito in the ring again where both did the seal of reconciliation with smiles on their faces, presumably enjoying their spar and Hinata found that Yugito had a similar, warmness to somebody else she knew. "Ok now, the next spar will be between, Chōji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara."

Said clan heirs then walked into the ring, one looking quite nervous while the other with the most unmotivated look on his face. Meanwhile Naruto was wondering who he would fight against, his landed on Kiba and Akamaru then on Shino, but he knew fighting Shino would be unlikely since he focused on ranged combat, perhaps he would fight Ino, nah, he couldn't hit a girl, could he? Then finally his eyes travelled towards his former best friend and both an angry and pained look spread across his face, he and Sasuke hadn't talked in over a month, they hardly ever saw each other anymore, the Uchiha just as he said, broke his friendship with the blonde shortly after his clan's massacre. Their friendship meant nothing anymore. Their dream, of erasing the hatred in the world, from everyone's hearts, meant nothing to Sasuke anymore, as hatred had seemingly claimed his own.

"Umm sensei." said Chōji raising his hand, grabbing Iruka's attention. The teacher then signalled his student to express his concerns. "I don't really want to hurt my friends." said Chōji with a downcast voice while staring at his feet.

"No no, it's not like that. These are traditional shinobi sparring exercises. The Hokage of old used this type of training to hone their skills and gain the legendary strength they're known for." though Iruka didn't notice that while he was talking, Shikamaru was walking out of the ring, unmotivated to to even lift a finger. Naruto, Yugito and many of the other students seemed to sweatdrop at the scene at the epic laziness of the Nara heir.

"Sensei. I don't mind losing by going out of bounds so please move on to the next guy." spoke Shikamaru while Iruka's jaw seemed to drop at his students words and everyone seemed to face-fault. "Whether you're training or fighting, once the winner has been decided, the battle's over, so you know, no more excuse to fight and it's less of a pain to decide straight away than to actually fight to determine the winner."

Iruka released a breath of exasperation at his laziest student, and his little motivation to get involved in the lesson, no seriously how were Nara men shinobi if they were so lazy and unmotivated to do anything other than watching the clouds go by or watching paint dry. And the thought on everyone's mind was.

'this guy has no motivation.' as they all released an expasperated sigh just as their sensei did.

"He won't make chūnin even if he lives to be a hundred." said Kiba to Shino as his partenr Akamaru barked in response.

"No, I wouldn't be so sure, why? Because a hundred years is a long time. All sorts of things could happen." replied Shino making Kiba rebuke him for over thinking the littlest things.

"Shikamaru you idiot! You're the biggest pain here! Plus Chōji's got no guts whatsoever." grunted Ino who was merely annoyed at what she saw, if she was ever stuck with those two on her genin team then she would rather just jump off a cliff than to listen to them prattle on or gorge themselves on snacks or watching the clouds go by. Next to her Sakura was questioning the blonde-haired Yamanaka heir on how she knew the two clan heirs.

"Yeah, sort of, thanks to my parents. I've known them ever since we were young... well younger. I also know every other clan heir here off the top of my head." said Ino, to which Sakura nodded but the pinkette's eyes then returned to another boy in the class, the only one with golden hair. Naruto Senju, heir of the Senju clan and Son of the Yondaime Hokage, her crush, ever since Naruto saved her from the bullies she couldn't help but admire the Senju heir, while unlike all the other kids in her class that would bully Naruto, she was one of the few that actually treated him with kindness, and she believed that in order to get his attention, she couldn't be another stereotypical fangirl, his mother was Tsunade Senju after all, the strongest kunoichi in the world, so she felt that the only way for Naruto to notice her was for her to get stronger.

"That's enough, Shikamaru, Chōji make the seal of reconciliation." said Iruka reminding Shikamaru who almost forgot, and walked back into the ring to form the seal with Chōji. And both aplogised to the other for not fighting and also because of their closeness they knew exactly what the other was like. Iruak meanwhile smiled at the two of them, and the compassion they showed the other, it was all the proof he needed to know that the Will of Fire had been successfully passed onto them.

"Ok, next Naruto Senju-" but he was interrupted from speaking further when Naruto pumped his fist in the air ready to fight his challenger. However he didn't hear the whispers from his fellow peers.

"My parents say to stay away from him."

"I just hope I never have to train with him."

"My parents call him the Yondaime's mistake. Maybe they're right about that."

"And Sasuke Uchiha. Alright come here you two" With that said many girls of the class let out a dreamy '_Sasuke'_but only a few girls did not swoon over the Uchiha's name, three of which were looking at Naruto while he sported a noticeable frown on his face while his opponent did even bother to look at him nor make any facial expression what-so-ever, like he was bored with everything around him.

However, Naruto wasn't focused on winning or fighting, he was trying to determine what was going through Sasuke's mind at the moment, trying to delve into the thoughts of his former best-friend. He wondered why Sasuke had to act so cold and distant to everyone around him when all they wanted was to help him. He wondered how anybody could like someone that wouldn't even look at you and only grunted in response to your words. He wondered, if his best friend was still in that hollow shell that was Sasuke.

The two then stood before each other in the sparring ring with Iruka looking over them with a smile on his face. The two then made the seal of confrontation with Naruto still sporting his frown and Sasuke with his uncaring look, obviously regarding Naruto as someone not worthy of his time.

"Ok, we shall now commence the match between Naruto Senju and Sasuke Uchiha begin!" said Iruka where the two clan heirs rushed at each other however, it ended in barely a second, with Sasuke standing over Naruto, gripping his shirt with his right hand and holding his left fist above Naruto's face, looking through him with cold, hate-filled eyes that could rival the pitch blackness of night. Naruto was merely staring into those eyes, but he could feel that those eyes weren't staring at him, they were the same, the same eyes the villager's now had for him, however, he could tell... those eyes, weren't staring at him. They were meant for another.

'Sasuke... your eyes... there're darker than theirs... and there's something else, as if another...' thought Naruto as Sasuke got off him as the other children were cheering for the Uchiha. While Naruto stared at him with his large blue eyes while Sasuke stared down at him with his own onyx ones. Naruto could see clearly, that his friend couldn't be seen in those eyes. Many of the other were amazed at Sasuke's skill and how quickly he defeated Naruto, but unlike the blonde, they didn't see the hate filled in the eyes of the last Uchiha.

"The winner is Sasuke Uchiha! Now the two of you will face each other and form the seal of reconciliation." said Iruka but Sasuke refused to listen to him and instead walked away leaving the defeated Naruto on the ground. Naruto took this as a clear sign of disrespect, even if they weren't friends they were still comrades, the future shinobi of the village.

"So what, you too proud and mighty to even look at me! Let alone acknowledge me!" said Naruto as he got up off the ground and tightened his fist and ground his teeth, to be frank, even before their match, Sasuke was always ahead of him, in skill and power, while it did annoy the blonde at first Sasuke would always remind him that they were still friends afterwards, but not this time, this time, Sasuke refused to even show any inkling of friendship and camaraderie.

Sasuke then turned his head, casting a lone eye on the form of the blonde, an eye that showed annoyance at the actions of the Senju heir.

"You just going to stand there or say something dammit! Or am I not worthy of the respect of _Sasuke Uchiha_." yelled Naruto as Sasuke's eyes narrowed more in annoyance at his former friends yelling. Just then Iruka appeared between the two and reminded them that they were practicing a traditional form of shinobi combat. Iruka merely out a frustrated sigh at the two of them, he remembered the time the two of them were practically glued at the hip and now they're like the most bitter of enemies, almost as if they had been at war with the other for centuries.

Just as they were about to form the seal of reconciliation, they instead grabbed the collars of their shirts and stared at each other, dead in the eye, and their animosity for each other burning like a fire.

"You want my respect, than actually defeat me, you useless dropout." spoke Sasuke as his grip tightened on Naruto's shirt.

"You can count on me defeating you. As I won't be the loser dogging behind you forever... believe it!" said Naruto as his own griped tightened, just as things were about to get too intense, Iruka stepped in-between the two of them and broke them apart, their eyes never leaving the other, and their resentment of the other, growing even stronger.

"God, you're so annoying Naruto!" shouted Ino at her fellow blonde.

"Just what's wrong with you!" yelled another student.

Not wanting to suffer anymore words, Naruto dashed off where he jumped over the fence , eaving the class behind, only offering a glance behind him, aimed at Sasuke who returned the glance with the narrowing of his eyes before looking away. Naruto then continued to run home, not wanting to deal with anyone anymore. Yugito and Sakura meanwhile only had a hurt expressions on their faces as they watched the retreating form of the Senju heir.

* * *

As Naruto ran through the village, heading back to his compound, he could feel the glares of hatred being aimed at him, the harsh words of the villager's.

"It's that thing!"

"Still a pest as he's always been."

"I'm pretty sure if he left, no one would miss him."

However, they didn't know that their words were actually striking Naruto as if it was a dagger wound, so he just kept running towards his compound.

When he finally made it, he was greeted by Tentō and the two later secluded themselves in Naruto's room.

* * *

Hours later, Naruto heard a knock at his door while he was sitting on his bed, Tentō perched on his shoulders. When the person opened the door it was revealed to be his mother, Tsunade, who had a solemn and downcast look on her face.

"I was approached by your sensei Iruka today at the hospital." spoke Tsunade softly towards her son, who merely looked away from her and brought his knees up to his chest. "He told me how you almost got into a fight with Sasuke, and how you cut class after your sparring lesson." She then walked up to her son and sat down next to him on the bed and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Naruto please talk to me. You can't keep bottling this up for the rest of your life." said boy only bit his lip, afraid to tell his mother his thoughts and feelings.

"What did I do wrong?" questioned Naruto, to which Tsunade frowned sadly, as she knew exactly what he was talking about. "I don't remember, I don't remember how I killed those men, I don't know what I did to make everyone hate me."

"I... I don't know." spoke Tsunade, truth is, she did know, she wanted to tell him so much, possibly to reduce the pain he's feeling, but the Sandaime told her extensively not to reveal that certain information until Naruto was old enough to understand. She hated lying to her child, she hated so much that she just wanted to punch anything in her way.

"Will they ever accept me?" questioned Naruto again, looking his mother in the eye where she could see some stray tears ready to fall from his eyes and flow down his cheeks.

"It doesn't matter if they accept you, because one day... they will need you." said Tsunade pulling Naruto into a hug as he also returned the gesture, as his tears began to fall. "But one thing that won't change, is my love for you... you are the most precious thing in the world to me. I love you more than anything, Naruto."

"I love you too Mom. Believe it." said the Jinchūriki as he felt his mother's warmth, soothing him. 

**yes, I know, this chapter is shorter than the other ones, but seriously I just went through surgery so most of my time was spent in recovery. don't worry, I'll be just fine, the surgery wasn't life-threatening and in fact, it's has made me a healthier person. now, then in this chapter I wanted to detail the effects of the Senju kidnapping and introducing two more women in Naruto's harem in this story as well as showcase Naruto and Sasuke's volatile relationship, so Naruto barely remembers the kidnapping and is still unaware of being a jinchuriki and because of him murdering those kumo shinobi, the villager's treat him like a time bomb, and now kumo and konoha are allies as well, **

**also in the next chapter, we will have a time-skip, right when Naruto and Sasuke are about to become genin. which means, yay! Kakashi! **


	8. With Blind Eyes (part 1)

****Rebirth of the Two Sons****

****Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or any references I make.****

**With Blind Eyes (part 1)**

Konoha, the village Hidden in the Leave was under attack. Now this wasn't some simple matter of enemies invading their homes, nor was it some civil war that was embroiling the people of the village. For you see this attack was trivial, random and insulting. Why would this be counted as an attack you may say? Many would question that very question. For you see when it came to a certain individual with lackluster abilities any thing he did was regarded as an attack on the forefront of every bodies lives. This was a test, in part as he challenged the preconceptions and views of those around him as he raced through the village, a bucket of red paint in one hand and a large brush in the other that was covered with paint. He wore a black jacket with segmented white stripes running down the sleeves and the symbol of the Senju clan on the back of the jacket, which was currently tied around his waist with a white shirt underneath that was dotted with splotches of yellow, green and red paint with a similar smudge on his right cheek. He wore black pants and sleek black sandals while those who saw him race by could only perceive a yellow blur.

Naruto Senju had done it again, this time by taking it a step further, by defacing the Hokage monument and every face on it with whacky and silly icons and decals. Naruto himself was grinning at his achievement, proud that he had somehow outwitted the Chūnin who were chasing after him. He himself was also questioning if they were shinobi at all since they couldn't catch one kid who wasn't even a genin yet, either they were really bad shinobi or he was more awesome than he thought he was.

* * *

Meanwhile, in his private office was the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, a man of legend and heralded as the strongest kage of his generation, the one who was proclaimed him as the Shinobi no Kami (god of Shinobi) was preparing to paint on a blank canvas ready to bring a sweet and serene scene that he had cooked up in his mind to life on the canvas. It was to be a thing of beauty, the mountain air blowing against the branches of sakura trees while the music of a waterfall would echo in the background. He had to capture this image before it was erased from his mind, forever. Just as he placed the brush on the canvas and started taking smooth and light strokes did a chūnin, foolish enough to interrupt this moment of peace, barge into his office, startling the old man causing the stroke he was making to spin off course and smear across the canvas, ruining it forever. Somehow, somehow the old man knew what this was about, his thoughts now clouded with the laughing, obnoxious ball of energy in his mind, erasing the image of his painting and carving it out of the recesses of his mind.

"Hokage-Sama! You won't believe what he's done now.' said the Chūnin as the Hokage, fuming and enraged, smoke barrelling out of his ears and grinding his teeth together, he didn't dare say a word, he knew what it was that had caused this commotion, there was no need to even guess. _Naruto, _chanted the Hokage in his mind, as if that name belonged to his greatest enemy, one that haunted his dreams and cursed his very existence.

* * *

Said boy was currently hiding from the shinobi that was chasing after him by holding up a simple rag that was painted with a wooden fence. They passed by him completely, unaware that he was even giggling underneath said rag while they were completely oblivious to his presence. When they had passed, he lowered the sheet and laughed to himself, pleased and proud over his accomplishment.

"They're either complete idiots or I'm a genius." laughed Naruto, unaware of the shadow looming over him like a great statue, eyes red and flaming with its hands upon its hips in a mighty fashion. Naruto didn't make note of this presence until it was too late, that he was caught by the only person he could find him hidden under a rock.

"Oh really! Naruto!" roared Iruka like a great beast as Naruto sprung into the air out of pure shock and surprise before twisting around and facing his teacher. Naruto pointed at the academy teacher and accused him of using some kind of jutsu, it was the only thing that was plausible given how easily the Senju boy had evaded his pursuers. "what are you doing, you're supposed to be in class with all the other students perfecting your shinobi skills, I would drag you back there myself if it wasn't for the Hokage who desires you presence."

"Looks like you have to drag me to the Hokage then because I'm not going anywhere." huffed Naruto as he sat on the ground and crossed his legs in pure defiance at his teacher, to which a tic mark appeared on his forehead while his eyes went black and bloodthirsty.

"I was hoping you'd say that." muttered Iruka with a smirk while Naruto pursed his lips in confusion. It wasn't until that Naruto was right before the old man did he realise what Iruka meant. How he was bound in rope right before the Shinobi no Kami who was smoking his pipe while he stared at the boy who continued smirking even while his body was encircled with rope. The very image itself brought a headache to the old man.

* * *

"Do you not realise what you have done! You have all but ruined a perfect piece of art that would have been cemented in history as a masterpiece!" bellowed Hiruzen as he pointed at the Senju boy causing a sweatdrop to appear on Iruka's head in exasperation, for he was expecting the Old Kage to berate the boy upon his defilement on the Hokage Monument. "how else will the people of the world, bask in the glory of what I had created, now history will never remember my greatest accomplishment, they will never know of the beauty I had brought with sheer art.'

"Oh please the only art you could have conjured would have been those pervy thoughts you have about hot springs and pretty girls!" spat Naruto still grinning like a mad idiot causing Hiruzen to whip out a paper fan and smack Naruto with it again and again while the boy continued to shout how the painting would have been just naked girls in a hot spring. Iruka merely massaged his head in frustration at the scene unfolding before him as the Hokage and Naruto argued back and forth while one was hitting the other with a paper fan. Soon enough the fiasco wrapped and Hiruzen was seated while panting while the young boy before him had a rather large bump on the top of his head.

"Now onto the matter of the Monument." spoke the Hokage causing Iruka to face fault at how aloof the Sandaime's response was. "You will clean up every scrap of paint you marked on those monuments after you finish the day at the academy, I will also be informing your mother of what you've done also." uttered the Sandaime while Naruto's face fell in a melancholic expression with a slight pout and insignificant narrowing of the eyes. The Hokage sighed at the sight and waved his hand at Iruka, giving him the signal to release Naruto from his restraints. Said teacher nodded and did so, to which he escorted the now free Naruto out of the office, a hand on his shoulder giving him a tender squeeze.

"Naruto I'm at my wits end. You failed the graduation exam before and the time before that, I'm giving you one last chance to rectify any mistakes. This will be the last time Naruto if you don't pass you can never become a shinobi." warned Iruka when both he and his student arrived at the door of the academy. "and as further punishment for your actions today, everyone will go over the **Henge no jutsu (transformation technique)**." said Iruka as he and Naruto walked through the door, to which all the students heard their teacher's words and moaned at what had happened. And thus, they all quickly lined up, one after the other, with students showing what they were capable of by perfectly transforming into Iruka, first off was Sasuke who predictably pulled it off perfectly, which was literally no surprise to anyone. Meanwhile the likes of Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka were berating Naruto on how they had to work more while another said how it was just a waste of time. The Senju heir merely glared at the two of them, before stepping and up and serving some sweet revenge to his teacher. Naruto did the **Henge no Jutsu** but what came out was not some copy of Iruka, or the Sandaime or even his father but rather, a naked woman with whisker marks on her cheeks, long sun-kissed hair that was worn in two pig-tails and smoke covering her generous features. When Iruka and Kiba saw these forms, they had the immediate instinct to be launched by nose bleeds so powerful that it sent them spiralling into the roof to which Naruto giggled and laughed at their reactions, saying how revenge was sweeter than anything.

When Iruka regained composure he roared like a Tyrannosaurus at the blonde boy with his head growing in size until it appeared that his shoulders could no longer support him and with tissues stuffed up his nose. The duo later found themselves upon the monument with Naruto scrubbing at the statues while Iruka watched from his high point.

"And Make sure you have every spot washed off by the time the sun sets." spoke Iruka to Naruto giving a curt 'whatever'. Iruka face fell into one of contemplation as he stared at the boy's hard work, seeing the boy with dulled red paint on his hands and pouting at this chore he was doing, "you know Naruto, what would you think if I treated you to ramen tonight, I'm sure your mother wouldn't mind."

"Really Iruka-sensei! You'd do that! That really is some serious motivation!" spoke Naruto looking up in astonishment and awe at his teacher who felt proud of the admiration that he was shown. While Naruto doubled his work effort to which Iruka smiled at. he knew, he was one of the few to notice, Naruto wasn't a bad kid he just made bad choices every once in a while, he wasn't some criminal, deep down he had a heart of gold, one could even say that he cares for people more than he should.

Teacher and Student later found themselves at Ichiraku Ramen, with Naruto guzzling down copious amounts of the stuff, with Iruka happily paying for any meal Naruto ordered.

"Naruto, Why would you do that to the faces of the Hokage? It's disrespectful especially since you're related to three of them." uttered Iruka, to which Naruto just shrugged his shoulders, he knew he was related to the three of them, there really was no need to remind him, it's not like he would forget it any time soon.

"Of course I know, I'm in the history books now, remember, everyone knows I'm the Great-grandson of the Shodaime, a descendent of the Nidaime and son of the Yondaime. Except I would be remembered as nothing more but the Senju no Haji (Disgrace of the Senju)." an unfortunate title the villager's bestowed on him because he lacked the great strength of those who preceded him, it was nothing more than a mockery, a joke, that the villagers continued to call him that was like pouring salt on a wound. Iruka questioned why he would do such a thing if he knew he was going to get in trouble? "Because I'm going to to surpass all those old men, and show everyone just what I'm truly capable of me. Me, Naruto Senju, the next Hokage and Shinobi no Kami! A legend that no one will ever forget!" roared Naruto pumping his fist towards Iruka, so sure that he will be the one that history will remember the most, he could see it now, people would write songs about him, there would be festivals in his honour, there would be biographies, interviews and the village will undergo a revolution that no one in the entire world will ever predict, he basically drooled at the thought. "also, Iruka-sensei, could you PLEASE, let me try on your headband?" asked Naruto putting his hands together in a begging sort of manner, to which Iruka replied.

'No way, the headbands are passed down from teacher to student, only once you become a genin, a ninja of the village are you allowed to wear one."

"Man you're such a killjoy sensei." pouted Naruto.

* * *

When the moon was high in the sky and the night ha swept in did the Senju decided to traverse his way home, back to his compound where Tsunade (his mother), Yugito and Shizune were waiting. Knowing that the three of them would be asleep by now, the blonde boy decided to use all his stealth skills to their limit so not to wake anyone up. Instead of taking the door like an 'Idiot' he decided to go through a window, yeah not implying that he was some kind of burglar. Once inside the blonde glided through the kitchen before noticing some cake on a platter by the bench of the kitchen. Not being able to resist the greedy slice of pastry did he take a slice and happily ate it, enjoying its taste as the lights turned on and his body froze like ice. He carefully craned his head backward as if he was an owl to see who had caught him red handed. Well, it was none other than his mother, in a robe, tapping her foot and her arms were crossed under her ample bosom while her eyes were narrowed and belied frustration. The younger Senju now knew that the cake was bait, bait for the trap his mother had set, and he fell for it, to the point that he felt played, like a violin.

"I was at the hospital today, treating patients, curing sick children the usual. When a Chūnin arrives at my door telling me how you defaced public property which just so happened to be our village's greatest statue." spoke Tsunade hissing as she did so while Naruto only wiped some cake of his cheek with his hand while crumbs fell to the floor like leaves in autumn. Naruto's body deflated, defeated by the older woman while he stared at the ground, glaring at the floor. "Naruto we talked about this, defacing monuments and property will not get you what you want. If only you spent more time practicing your jutsu and less time with pranks you might actually be able to graduate. Naruto, I've had enough of these conversations to recognise them off by heart would you please for once listen to me."

"What for!" yelled Naruto surprising his mother at the volume of his voice and the temper that carried with it. "no matter what I do, what good I do I'm never thanked for, never get a pat on the back or anything. No one, no one even wants to look at me! Let alone be in the same room as me! Why am I the one that gets put down, called names just because I'm not some genius like Sasuke or Tou-chan. You wonder why? Why don't you pay attention more and maybe you would see why! Because I'm left with no other choice! Because it's the only way to make people know I'm here! You say things will get better but have they actually?!" yelled Naruto causing two pairs of footsteps to descend from the staircase nearby where the forms of Yugito and Shizune in their pyjamas, rubbing their tired eyes descended.

"What with all this noise?' queried Shizune in a sluggish manner as she yawned in response her black hair wild and tussled. Naruto didn't say anything other than running past the two and into his room, hoping to not be disturbed for the rest of the night. Yugito gave a puzzled expression as she saw the Senju rush past her without a care. When he made it to his room he threw off his jacket and sandals before jumping onto his mattress, thinking about tomorrow and wondering if he would finally become a ninja. He looked over to a shelf of his, seeing the photos of his mother and him and one of his father, he remembered the times when times were great, he would no feel this anger or guilt inside of him, he wished for the times when his mother would push him on that swing while he laughed in the process. He looked away and rolled over onto his side, staring into the dark of his room, letting a single tear fall over the bridge of his nose.

* * *

The very next day was 'the day'. The day that academy students will become genin and thus, ninja. The ninja of the village, protectors of home and family, the reason why shinobi fought was not the question of what you fought for, but what is worth fighting for. For the future genin, the answer to this question was as elusive as the wind, in time they would understand the true meaning of such words, but until then they were content with just passing the graduation and being recognised as shinobi.

For Naruto, he sat amongst them all, thinking of what would unfold, would he pass? Would he fail? He didn't know. For the last three years he has poured his blood and tears into this day, he had practised for so long, he had perfected his skills and now the fruits of his labour were paying off, as now, he was ready, he could transform into another, replace his body with a stone or log and now he could form clones from nothing, confusing his enemies and creating distractions. There was no way he could fail now, for he is of the Senju clan, the clan of a thousand hands, he would not be a failure any more.

He watched as student after student raced out of the door, including the clan heirs of some of the most powerful clans. He even saw his friend, Yugito pass in and come out with a headband. Soon enough it was his turn, standing before his sensei's, Mizuki and Iruka, who were giving him kind but keen stares, ready to see what he was truly capable of. Although the slight smirk of Mizuki tickled his curiosity. As per required of the exam, Naruto had to perform a **Henge no jutsu **and the **Kawarimi no jutsu **along with a standard clone jutsu of any kind, so long as it created copies of himself. He was able to pull off the first two perfectly, sparking just a little pride in Iruka who was watching while Mizuki adopted some devilish smirk as if this was amusing him more than anything.

Naruto grinning at his victory didn't notice Mizuki weaving hand seals underneath the table just as Naruto made his own seal for the clone jutsu, casting a genjutsu upon him and Iruka unknowingly. However when he performed the jutsu ready to become a true ninja, what came out was a floppy, pale imitation of the original. Shock rushing over him and disappointment apparent on Iruka's features did the blonde turn back at his teachers.

"Wait, let me do it again. I know I can do better next time." pleaded Naruto as he performed the jutsu once again only to be met with the same result, only, this time, there was two, both just as pathetic as the last one. Iruka wasn't convinced, this only seemed to prove to him that the Senju heir was not ready to be a shinobi, not ready for the responsibility of being a shinobi.

"I'm sorry, Naruto but you fail, again." muttered Iruka as he crossed his arms and stared at the headbands upon the table.

"Iruka-sensei, his technique is flawed but you can see that he's poured effort and time into his training, he was able to produce two clones in the end, so it's quite obvious that he wants to become a shinobi. Let's be easy on the kid and cut him a break, let him be a ninja." discussed Mizuki as Iruka thought about his words, causing the blonde boy to smile in anticipation while Iruka merely shook his head.

"Mizuki-sensei, every other student was able to create three perfect clones. Naruto couldn't even make two and look at them, they're pitiful. No matter what I can't pass him." spoke Iruka, his words stinging like a thorn from a rose, Naruto didn't protest, didn't plead, only escaped through the door to join the rest of his class, none were surprised that he failed as he passed through the doors without a headband, hardly anyone cared, with the exception of a few who were giving him sad stares.

When it was over, the parents of the many children of his class came to congratulate every last one of them, even the clan heads whose children had graduated. The Senju boy sat on a single swing, with only Yugito being his company, she didn't dare say anything, lest to upset him more, but seeing her best friend and practical room-mate in such a state tore at her heart. She tried to ignore the cruel words of the hateful parents who observed them from afar, saying how disastrous it would be if he ever became a shinobi. Tsunade and Shizune later came by to pick the two up, applauding her surrogate daughter on becoming a genin and comforting her son when he couldn't. She was about to say something, something that would cheer the boy up, but he darted away before she got the chance, a sullen expression pouring over her features. From afar Iruka and the Hokage were watching, Hiruzen couldn't think of a single word to say to Tsunade, knowing that her son would never be a ninja, while Iruka felt as if he was to blame, how he should have pushed Naruto into trying harder and perfecting his skills. Said teacher was broken from his stupor when the Hokage decided to speak up.

"Iruka, there is something we must discuss." muttered the Hokage, earning said Chūnin's attention. "I know how you feel towards him. He's a lot like you in many ways, growing up in similar situations. He doesn't know what the love of a father is like, Jiraiya and I try our best, but no matter what, a void such as that can never be filled, not while you bear the knowledge that your real father was dead before you could walk. The warmth of a complete family... I will tell you more about it tomorrow, but know that perhaps it is best that Naruto never becomes a shinobi. I feel in my heart that for good or ill, Naruto will have a part to play in the many days that is to come. Perhaps he can become a shinobi, but right now, it is best to leave him be, for the moment." said the wise man as he walked away, back to his office, leaving Iruka to ponder the Kage's words and Naruto's situation. Those words would haunt Iruka, even into his sleep as he remembered the day the great fox attacked, without warning or prior knowledge. All he could remember was a cloud of smoke, a great howl that echoed across the mountains, fire lighting up whatever it could and the great structures of the village falling all around him. The screams of pain and loss and the cries of fear and havoc ringed in his ears, tearing at his mind and delaying his sleep. He was broken from his trance when a resounding knock on his door alerted him. He raced over to see that it was Mizuki, informing him that Naruto had stolen the scroll of Seals, containing the most dangerous of kinjutsu known to the village.

* * *

Now before him, many Chūnin and Jōnin were gathered before the Shinobi no kami, each spouting how Naruto had become a full blown terror to the village and how the secrets of their village could fall into the hands of their enemies. Iruka was among them and he could not understand why his favourite student had gone and done such a thing, why would he? Was there some belying reason as to why? These questions would have to come from Naruto himself and Iruka had to be the first to find him, lest any of the most hateful ninjas go and lose control of themselves. With a wave of his arm, the Hokage commanded the shinobi to search the entire village for the runaway boy and to be brought to him immediately. Once all the ninja had been dispersed, in a spout of smoke stood the head of the Senju clan and mother of Naruto, Tsunade, to which her expression could tell a thousand words.

"Where's my son?" snarled Tsunade to which Hiruzen gave no visible reply. "Why would he steal my grandfather's scroll? Why would he do such a thing? Sensei please tell me, more could be at stake than just some scroll. I have to know he's alright, I have to know that he won't get hurt! He's all I have left!" pleaded Tsunade to which Hiruzen merely sighed at the distraught but also an angry mother. He knew that Tsunade's love for her son was greater than any love he had seen before, all except one relationship but that was another story.

"Naruto's desperation for love and attention seems to have gotten the better of him. I fear that one in the village has misled him into committing a crime of unspeakable horror, I fear that someone had worked up the courage to take action against him and finish what they believe should have unfolded all those years ago. Someone is seeking to kill the Kyūbi." proposed the Hokage, causing Tsunade to adopt a horror-stricken visage as the last few words left his mouth. Killing the fox meant only one thing, the host must die also. Tsunade didn't say anything else except for vanishing into the night in search of her lost child, visions of her past filled her thoughts, such as when Kumo made an attempt to take her child, she would not let anything like that happen again, she couldn't.

* * *

The night had blanketed the village and the black was flying in from the east, in the middle of a forest, panting and ragged was said Senju, tired after all the training he had done in one night. He felt proud, proud in a way that he was able to pass the test that Mizuki had told him about, saying that if one was to steal his great-grandfather's scroll and learn one jutsu from it, he would become a shinobi. Just the idea of it made his heart skip a beat. He was one step closer to becoming the Hokage and change the world as he knew it. He was unable to dream of this future further as a shadow blocked the moon and hovered over him. The shadow of his teacher, Iruka.

"I've got you now." said Iruka with a smirk as he crossed his arms, happy that he was able to find the blonde before anyone else. However, Naruto merely giggled and scratched the back of his head as Iruka became puzzled at Naruto's giggling.

"Got me already, took longer than expected but well it's safe to say that it's expected that you wouldn't be able to find me for a while. Too bad I was only able to learn one jutsu from Super-jiji's scroll." this new information surprised the academy teacher, a little impressed at how Naruto was able to learn a jutsu that would take years for the average shinobi to learn. It became more apparent as the chūnin found scuff marks and scratches all over the boy's black clothing and dirt upon his cheeks and brow. "alright so when do I get my headband, I passed the test so that makes me a ninja now right?"

"Test? What test?" questioned Iruka confusing Naruto slightly before the blonde decided to answer.

"Mizuki-sensei said so if I was able to learn at least one jutsu from this scroll I could become a genin. He showed me where to find it and this place and all that." spoke Naruto causing a sudden realisation to batter Iruka. The teacher didn't have time to dodge the oncoming kunai that flew from the trees, but he was fast enough to push Naruto out of the way. But this, in turn, caused the chūnin's body to be dotted with sharp metal that pierced through his flak jacket and causes several wounds across his torso and an injury on his leg.

"Too bad you found our little hide-away Iruka." said a voice in the trees to which the teacher sneered at the form of Mizuki, who was standing upon a branch of a nearby tree. "Naruto give me the scroll, Iruka is part of the test." Naruto didn't say anything, only reacting in a confused and stunned manner at what had just transpired, he didn't know what to do as he continued clutching the scroll in his hands as both Iruka and Mizuki told him to give up the scroll or run. Seeing the blood over Iruka's body, the boy recounted the last time he had faced the red liquid, when the Kumo shinobi took him from his home and family, and how he had somehow killed each and every one of them.

"Naruto you need to run, that scrolls contains kinjutsu that could destroy the village, do not allow it to fall into Mizuki's hands."

"Naruto... Iruka is just trying to scare you, he doesn't want a thing like you to have limitless power at the tips of your fingers. He's afraid of what you would do with it, all the chaos and destruction you will create in your path."

"Stop spouting lies, Mizuki! Don't let him deceive you, Naruto! Just run while you can!" however Mizuki was only amused by this whole spectacle before him, iy was utterly laughable at how a man such as Iruka could love a beast such as that boy.

"Are you sure that I'm not the one lying to you?" said Mizuki causing Iruka to realise what he was about to do next, the teacher desperately tried to stop Mizuki from speaking further knowing that it was forbidden to reveal the truth of what happened all those years ago. "everyone has been lying to you. The Hokage, your mother, everyone you know, they've been lying to you your entire life since the decree twelve years ago, the day of your birth, the day of your father's death." continued Mizuki making Naruto wonder why everyone treated him like dirt, why everyone hated him for no reason. "everyone knows except you, I mean it's hardly a secret at all. Even Iruka is trying to hide it from you even as we speak, he's willing to do anything to keep me quiet."

"What is this decree? How come I don't know about it?!"

"The decree, created by the Sandaime Hokage is that no one can even speak of the Kyūbi no Yōko in your presence lest you discover the truth. That's right, the Kyūbi no kitsune is sealed inside your body, you're the human sacrifice!" spoke Mizuki. As the words escaped his mouth, Naruto's world was flipped upside down, this was why he was hated, why no one would even look his way, why everyone loved him at first only to despise him from the moment he was kidnapped by Kumo. He was a monster, it explained everything, his mother dodging every question, to the Sandaime's aloof nature when the subject was broached. It explained everything. "The fox spirit that killed the Yondaime Hokage and killed Iruka's parents dwells within your body, you are the Kyūbi no Yōko! You of all people knew how strange it was, how they treated you like dirt, not even giving you the slightest of glances as if they hated you for just being born. To them, you are just some 'thing' that needs to be killed. That's why you will never be accepted or loved by anyone. Even your sensei, even your own mother hates you!"

As these words continued to pour as if they were scalding hot water, Iruka remembered his conversation with the Sandaime Hokage.

"_Iruka, Naruto doesn't know the love of a father, he doesn't understand what transpired those twelve years ago. I kept the knowledge that he was a Jinchūriki secret from all who didn't need to know. But when the incident with Kumo happened four years ago, a piece of the Fox's spirit leaked out and soon enough it was all but a raging fire, all in the village knew what Naruto truly was, the pain of losing their loved ones and home was too great and they decided to exact their vengeance and retribution upon him. He doesn't understand what's going on and that causes him pain for him in every waking day, most would rather not look at him or register his exist. How would you feel if everywhere you went you would only receive cold stares from those that hated you. That is why he acts out, why he pulls pranks, no matter the attention be it good or ill, it reminds the people that he is just the same as them. Tsunade does what she can but even for her it is a difficult situation. Human beings don't change over night, preconceptions and opinions only wane over long years and even then resentment will follow. It may not show and he may say he might not care, but he yearns for the happy smiles and comfort he once had. It's as if he is being stabbed again and again and the blade only becomes sharper._"

"Die Fox!" yelled Mizuki as he spun a massive shuriken at the boy who stumbled to get out of the way. Iruka called out to Naruto to get down just as the sound of metal shredding flesh echoed across the forest. When Naruto opened his eyes, hearing nothing but the silence of night did he crane his head over his shoulder to see Iruka, shielding him with his own body, a shuriken piercing his back, coughing and wheezing with some of his own blood trickling onto Naruto's cheek. Mizuki was slightly surprised by this but didn't care as he believed Naruto's life was forfeit anyway.

"Why?" questioned Naruto as Iruka only stared down at him.

"Because we're are one. I lost my parents all those years ago, no one cared, they forgot about me. My skills and grades dropped, I became the class clown, I just wanted them to notice me, to remember that I was there, to remember my name. My skills weren't enough to get their attention so I did... crazy things... which I had to pay for dearly. It was near unbearable. I understand because that is how you feel also. You're lonely and isolated and it feels like a knife is stabbing you, I only wish I was there more, that we were all there for you." spoke Iruka as tears fell as if they were a waterfall onto Naruto's face. "I let you down, abandoned you like all the rest. I'm truly sorry, no one should live like that." Mizuki merely chuckled at his heart-warming scene between teacher and student.

"Stop trying to make me vomit, you think Iruka actually cares about you! He was orphaned because the fox killed his parents and that beast now lives inside you! He would say anything to take that scroll from you." spoke Mizuki to which Naruto ran, leaving the two men behind and travelling deeper into the forest with Iruka calling out to him. "you know he's as stubborn as a rock, now he will use the power of the scroll to take vengeance upon all those who wronged him. He had that look in his eye, the look of a ravenous animal." the teacher of the academy didn't say anything other than removing the shuriken from his back and tossing it at Mizuki giving him a chance to chase after Naruto himself with the traitorous chūnin following close behind.

When it seemed that Naruto had put enough distance did he look over his shoulder and spot Iruka, flying in from behind. He called out to the boy, saying that Mizuki was lying and should give him the scroll so he could use it against him. However, the boy merely kicked the chūnin in the face, sending them both hurtling away with Naruto hitting the trunk of a tree and Iruka's visage fading away into that of Mizuki's who bore a sneer. 'Naruto' soon vanished as well revealing that it was Iruka along.

"You're a fool, why do you protect that thing?! He's the one that destroyed the village and killed your parents!" stated Mizuki but his former friend merely smirked at the traitor.

"I don't care what you think. Or what you have to say. You're not going anywhere near that boy."

"As if someone like you could stop me. Don't you see that Senju boy is just like me, he would do anything for power and for his vengeance, that's just how a demon will act. He will unleash all his rage on everyone and nothing shall be left standing in his wake." argued Mizuki as it seems that his message had gotten through.

"You're right." muttered Iruka that made Naruto, who was nearby reel in shock, that his own teacher believed he was a demon just like everyone did. Perhaps he was wrong about everyone, and that people are just meant to hate each other. "that is how a demon would act. But Naruto is nothing like that, he's special... one of a kind, works hard , puts his soul into everything he has, sure he screws up on a daily basis, but he learns from those mistakes and betters himself from it. But his suffering only makes him stronger, only hardens him like steel. That's what separates him from a demon. Continue saying lies like that, you won't change how I feel about him and he's nothing like that fox. He is Naruto Senju, the Konoha no Ryū (Dragon of Konoha)." spoke proud and sure of what he was saying, bringing the boy hiding behind the tree to tears. Mizuki had heard just about enough of hearing Iruka talk and so decided to end things here and now, by killing Iruka first and Naruto later. However before the final blow could be struck, Naruto emerged from his hiding place and kicked Mizuki in the chest, creating distance between him and Iruka.

"Anyone ever hurts my friends, I'll kill them." warned Naruto with Mizuki unimpressed by the boy's threat.

"Brave words for such a little punk, I can kill you with a single blow." boasted the traitor to which Naruto was not perturbed by. He only formed his hands into a single unique seal.

"**Tajū Kage Bunshin no jutsu**." whispered Naruto as a hundred copies of the boy appeared all around the forest, each one taunting Mizuki as the sight before him caused the man to stumble and stutter while Iruka was amazed that a child, not even a genin could be able to perform such a complex and difficult jutsu. Before long Mizuki was pummelled into the ground, and what was left was a sloppy pile of flesh, barely recognisable to the eye, if he wasn't moaning in pain, one would think that Mizuki was dead. Naruto himself was standing over the defeated man stretching his arms and legs as if he had undergone a workout.

"You ok, Iruka-sensei?" queried Naruto which made Iruka chuckle in amazement at what the Senju had just done, truly believing that the blonde had the potential to surpass all the Hokage that came before.

"Hey Naruto, come here for a minute, I want to give you something special and make sure you close your eyes." said Iruka while Naruto gave him a puzzled look and did as his teacher requested. He felt some kind of fabric, being slipped over his head while he kept his eyes closed, slightly confused at what was going on. "Ok, you can open your eyes now." said the teacher who the Senju noted to be missing one particular piece of clothing, one that was supposed to be over his forehead. And for some reason, the smile he was wearing was growing in size as the sun began to rise over the horizon. "Congratulations, You are now shinobi." said Iruka, stunning Naruto so much that he was at a loss for words and salty drops began pooling at the corners of his eyes. "and to celebrate I will take us both out fo-" however he wasn't able to say anything more as two small arms encircled around his chest, to which he looked down to see Naruto crying tears of happiness with a small grin marring his features. Iruka did nothing but hug him back, enjoying the sound of sniffles. "Now I thought Shinobi can't cry, it's one of the rules."

"I'm pretty sure you can cry if you're happy." rebuked Naruto as the two of them laughed it out.

* * *

As they made their way to the Hokage office, chūnin and jōnin confronted them, but the Hokage himself quelled their fears, saying that the scroll was safe, the traitor was apprehended and Naruto had returned safely. Naruto himself merely laughed it all off but just as a they were about to receive a debriefing from the Hokage, Tsunade came running out of nowhere and quickly embraced her son in a hug.

"Naru-chan, are you alright, you aren't hurt. What happened? Where have you been?" said Tsunade in a worried fashion as Naruto stayed quiet towards her questions. He didn't look her in the eye, only holding this melancholic expression as his mother was offput by this distant attitude. It wasn't look until he looked at her before uttering two words.

"You knew?"

* * *

It had been two weeks after the incident with Mizuki and his exaggerated dreams of grandeur, for Naruto, well things were different, to say the least. Knowing why people were instinctively afraid of him helped ease the pain of the stares, but of course, it still stung and the wounds were still festering. Ever since Iruka had given his own headband to Naruto, the blonde hadn't worn it, for very good reason, it was, well to say the least, precious to him in every way. It was a sign, a sign of a promised future, the ideal future he wants, until then it would be stored safely in his room.

But if there was one thing that had changed tremendously after discovering he was a Jinchūriki was the relationship between the boy and his mother. After learning the truth this great anger and resentment towards the woman had grown like a thorn on the stem of a rose. Naruto refused to even look at her or talk to her, some kind of spite towards her that he would repaid in full. Did he have a reason to be angry? When you discover that your own loved ones, your own mother was lying to you, right to your face, it was hard to prevent the infection from spreading. They had talked little, with Tsunade trying to justify herself but Naruto stubbornly refused to listen, refused to see it from her point of view. With the way things seemed to be right now, both of them were one bad conversation away from shattering whatever bond they had. Was he being bratty, it would seem so, but anger such as that was never justifiable but understandable. Naruto even went out of his way to avoid her by leaving through the window of his room, thus having to avoid breakfast and the woman entirely. Even the Sandaime Hokage could see how much pain this new rift has caused, he knew that while it was self-destructive behaviour on Naruto's part, he was hoping that the two could mend the bridge and let things return to the way they were.

Unfortunately at this very moment, such thoughts would have to be set aside. As the Hokage was nursing a headache that only seemed to worsen with each second as the chuckling Senju boy in front seemed to be enjoying his latest handiwork. He had taken a photo of himself, his face and hands decorated with kabuki markings, how the photographer even allowed such a thing was even beyond the Hokage and looking at it, he was reminded of a similar stunt Jiraiya had pulled when he took his official photograph. But even still just looking at it made the Hokage's eye twitch in annoyance and exasperation. Of course, Naruto would do such a thing, he was more like Jiraiya than his mother, no, Hiruzen figured that Naruto was more like his great-grandfather than anything else.

"At first, I couldn't figure out what I was going to do but then it came to me, something completely original and new, you know unique and all that. It took me like three hours to get the makeup right but of course, it came out awesome, a piece of art only on my face. Only much cooler." spoke Naruto cutting the silence and causing his grandfather-figure to stare at him with an impassive face while the blonde only continued to chuckle to himself.

"Take it again. We can't accept this photo." muttered Hiruzen causing the Senju boy to face fault at what the older man had said, doesn't he understand how long it took to get all that makeup in the right place, all the effort to make it look perfect for this special event, making him do it again was basically an insult of the highest degree.

"Too bad, I'm not doing it again." rebuked Naruto crossing his arms, a habit he had picked up from his mother. Both the Hokage and the Hokage-hopeful gave each other a stare down that seemed to darken the entire room, old vs young, handsome vs wrinkly, wisdom vs foolishness. It got to the point that such a stare down was not going to solve any matter so Naruto made the seal of the **henge no jutsu** and soon the boy was replaced with a beautiful young girl with blonde pig tails and whiskers and nothing but smoke covering 'her' features. Upon seeing such a sight, the blood in the Hokage's body rushed up through his nose, creating a nose bleed of gargantuan size that spurted out like a trumpet, the sheer force of the nose bleed was enough to send the old man spiralling onto the ground, to which Naruto reverted back to his base form and did the obnoxious thing of laughing at the respected shinobi. While at the very door of the room, neither of them were aware of the shadow, ready to strike within a moment's notice.

It didn't take long for Hiruzen to be seated in his original position, wiping some of the blood off his nose with a handkerchief and warning Naruto that a tricky jutsu like that should not ever be used again.

"Where is your headband Naruto? you're a shinobi now and as a shinobi you're supposed to be wearing it." questioned the Hokage to which Naruto merely said that he didn't want to scratch it all up. "I see, you want to keep your headband nice and shiny but your photo which is supposed to identify you makes you look like a clown. I mean look at this you can hardly tell who this is."

"That's not true, that's clearly my gold hair and blue eyes, your eyesight must be waning in your old age." rebuked the younger ninja to which Hiruzen's right eyebrow twitched in annoyance. And at that very moment, the shadow which was hiding by the door emerged, swiftly approaching the older man who didn't look intimidated in the slightest.

"Old man, I'm challenging you, once I defeat you I shall become the Godaime Hokage!" yelled the boy tripping over his own scarf and landing face-first onto the hard wooden ground, making Naruto and the Hokage sweatdrop at that pathetic sneak attack. This, in turn, caused Hiruzen to complain internally how he was sure he was getting a migraine later on. The two only continued to watch as the small child curled into a ball and cried slightly into his hands. Unfortunately, the Hokage could never be rid of this boy for the remainder of his life, his own grandson, Konohamaru Sarutobi, who similar to Naruto only caused headaches and pestilence wherever he went. Following close behind was the boy's mentor, Ebisu a Jōnin with an ego and arrogance matched only by his blind devotion and loyalty to the Hokage's family.

"Something tripped me." complained Konohamaru as he picked himself up off the ground, rubbing his nose as he looked around the room, trying to find something that he could lay the blame on. Ebisu, the glorified servant only stated how there was nothing in the room to trip on, the floor being so flat and all. Naruto merely glared at the boy, trying to determine how clumsy he was and, of course, questioning the child's own identity. Once Ebisu laid eyes upon the Senju heir he gasped in surprise, only to internally declare the boy to be the Kyūbi itself and how he was the worst sort of troublemaker and nuisance. Konohamaru, without even thinking before he acted proclaimed Naruto to be the one who tripped him over, something which the young Senju would not abide by.

"You tripped me over, for that you shall pay." spoke the runt to which Naruto grabbed him by the collar of his blue scarf and lifting him slightly off the ground while grinding his teeth together.

"Maybe if you weren't so clumsy you wouldn't have tripped in the first place! Runt!" accused Naruto as the two boy's then turned to have a glaring contest as flames flickered off their forms.

"Take your hands off him, He's the honourable grandson of the honourable Sandaime Hokage, a delinquent such as yourself should be privileged to even be in his presence." said Ebisu making Naruto pause for just a second, to which he stared at Ebisu, then at the Sandaime who was rubbing the sides of his temples in trying to keep whatever anger he had boiling inside him in check, then back at Konohamaru who had a smug grin on his features.

'Yeah, that's right. Now that he knows who I am, he wouldn't even dare lay a finger on me.' thought the young boy before deciding to go ahead and continue his spoiled act. "What's the matter? Go ahead and punch me, scared that the Sandaime Hokage is my grandfather." however what he expected would be quite different as he would soon learn, Naruto had little respect for those who flaunted their social rank, which would be perfectly showcased in the next second.

"I don't care if he's your sister! Runt!" yelled Naruto as he gave a powerful punch to the top of Konohamaru's skull, knocking him straight into the floor, which in turn cause Ebisu to scream in utter horror at what the Senju just did and for the older Sarutobi to sigh at the scene that unfolded. The next few minutes past and Konohamaru was standing before the jōnin ready to be lectured upon by the 'elite' ninja.

"Listen carefully, you are the honourable grandson of the honourable Sandaime Hokage you mustn't associate yourself with a delinquent such as that draw you into a fight even though he deserves it. You must see that he's far below you cannot stoop to his level, as your mentor I am never wrong and that means I am always right, I am far above even the most elite of jōnin so heed each and every word. Your goal is to become the next Hokage and I can help you achieve such a dream. Indeed due to my great skill I can take you quickly and easily to the very pinnacle but you must always heed my teachings." blubbered Ebisu, never finding an opportunity to stroke his own ego. When he turned to look back at Konohamaru he found the boy to be notably absent, worrying the man and questioning where he went with the Hokage stating that he chased after Naruto and soon enough Ebisu was in hot pursuit.

* * *

As he walked through the streets, hands in his pockets and his eyebrow ticking did the blonde shinobi feel the presence of the Hokage's grandson, trailing behind him like a shadow, trying to stay out of sight. The Senju heir knew for a while that the runt was following him, though for what the new ninja didn't know, it was at the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. He then whipped around and pointed his finger a the boy, who pulled a drape up to cover himself so to hide amongst a nearby wooden fence, pitifully the drape was sideways and looked unnatural compared to the fence. Even Naruto thought it was pathetic.

"Huh the rumours they so about you are true, you're good." spoke Konohamaru causing Naruto to squint his eyes in confusion. There were rumours about him? "Alright You'll be my master and I'll be your apprentice." proclaimed Konohamaru, causing a giant yellow question mark to appear atop Naruto's head, an obvious sign of the older boy's confusion. "and you can start by showing me that awesome jutsu you used on jiji."

"This must be a joke or some reality tv prank show that no one has yet to tell me about."

"No, really I need a teacher boss."

"Boss?

"Yeah you're totally the boss."

"Huh, that does sound pretty awesome, alright I know the perfect training spot."

* * *

For the Sandaime, he was awaiting a special guest of his atop his own office as he stared at the four faces of the Hokage, this person has accompanied him through countless missions and journeys, a person he could say that he loved like his own child. He knew that she had arrived when the winds breeze changed from east to west, carrying the leaves off as they danced upon the gale. He craned his head over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of this person, one of his former students. Tsunade Senju, mother of Naruto, the head of the Senju clan. For the Sandaime seeing the two being torn apart by lies was torturous itself, so being the father figure he was, he would offer his own sage-like wisdom to his surrogate child.

"Tsunade, I know what troubles you more than anything. I know this is true for it gnaws at your heart and decays your will." spoke the Hokage, never taking his eyes off the statue of the Yondaime, Naruto's father. "Through all my years I have learned that just merely talking can solve more problems than you might think." continued the Sandaime as Tsunade said nothing only appearing wistful as she occasionally ducked her eyes and focused upon the ground she was standing upon.

"He's... vindictive. He refuses to see me... or even talk to me, and when we do talk, his words are harsh, they sting and they only become worse. He'd rather not register my existence at all. I don't know what to do or how to make things better. For the both of us." spoke Tsunade as she gritted her teeth together as a single tear trailed down her cheek at the thought of her child hating her for the rest of his life.

"He's been lied to his entire life, he trusted you and loved you more than anyone and anything, you made him feel safe, it is the only pure love he has ever known and he's feels betrayed, used even that even his own mother hid the root of his suffering from him. He does these things because deep down he wants you to understand the pain he has felt up to this point. How would you feel if the one you trusted and loved most, betrayed that trust and lied right to your face, and to know the suffering he had felt because of that lie." said Sarutobi, making Tsunade gasp slightly and whipping her head to stare at his back. "Naruto doesn't hate you. He's hurting on the inside and because that pain can manifest itself in different ways, it has created this rift between you two. He is not angry at you, he's angry with himself, he may not act like but he hates himself for what he has done and said to you but that anger has also twisted his vision and made him believe that you deserve all the pain he has endured, so you understand what he has truly felt in all these years. Give it time and soon enough that anger and rage will wash away and become sorrow and despair and you must be there for him, to comfort him when that time comes. He can't hate you for the rest of his life, he's practically incapable of it." With each word that drifted from the Hokage's lips did Tsunade understand this predicament. It truly surprised her, how much wisdom the Sandaime possessed and how he was able to see the truth of things through many eyes.

"But there's no way to ease the suffering he feels, because of the villagers." spoke Tsunade as the Sandaime sighed, rubbing his goatee in thought.

"I fear that Naruto's dream may be impossible." spoke the Hokage surprising Tsunade with this turn of events. "When Minato died sealing the spirit of the fox into Naruto, his dying wish was that Naruto is treated as a hero, as his body serves as the jail to the demon, even today the only ones who know of what Naruto truly is are those who fought the Bijū all those years ago, the civilians that witnessed the devastation that the fox could reap and the children whose first memories were of the village on fire. I knew that people don't forgive easily when everything they know is taken from them. So I myself passed down a law in the village, that anyone who would even speak of the fox would be punished to the absolute severity of the law, a law that I still reinforce to this day. Even now with the Nibi in our midst, that very same law also applies to Yugito, but unlike Naruto, very few are even aware that she is a jinchūriki and thus has lived a fairly happy life in a village that is alien to her. This law was created so that the children of the village would not think either of them as monsters or demons, they remain blissfully unaware of what the two really are. However they inherited their parents fears and now they too fear him but of the unknown, they don't know why they fear Naruto, and that only burns greater fear in them. This because of their hatred and fear, they look at him with frighteningly cold, blind eyes and my greatest fear. That Naruto will hate them more than they hate him." continued the Hokage as Tsunade could only feel this broken glass within her.

* * *

"No, No more curves and bigger everything!" yelled Naruto as Konohamaru nodded and kept transforming into hideous versions of women, it got to the point where Naruto was beginning to question certain things of his life so they decided to take a break. They went to a nearby vending machine and ordered some soda before sitting down by a log to which Naruto felt it was prudent to ask 'that' question. "so what's this obsession you have with defeating your grandfather?" questioned Naruto to which Konohamaru decided to tell him, since everybody knew the truth.

"Jiji named me Konohamaru, after the name of the village, so it should be easy to remember. But not a single person ever calls me that name, only honourable grandson of the Sandaime Hokage, when they look at me they don't see Konohamaru Sarutobi, they only see the bratty grandchild of an important old man. No one even knows who I am, I can't stand it, it feels like I'm invisible, like I don't exist to be anything other than the honourable grandson, That's why I want the Hokage title so people know who I am." spoke Konohamaru, telling his story and Naruto found it eerily familiar, before anyone knew what he was, he was treated the same way, either as the son of the Yondaime or son of Tsunade, heir to the Senju clan.

"You know, I understand what you're going through, a long time ago, I was treated like a prince, they gave me everything and denied me nothing. All because I was born to two of the most powerful ninja in the world. But when it turned out that I wasn't like either of them, they just ignored me, called me a disgrace to my name and my clan. So I completely understand." replied Naruto surprising his younger companion slightly, who was not aware of who he really was.

"Just who are you?" queried Konohamaru to which Naruto's face expression soured and saddened.

"I'm Naruto Senju, Son of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze and Tsunade Senju, heir to the most powerful and respected clan in the entire world and the last legacy of the Shodaime." muttered Naruto which Konohamaru was caught by surprise, this was someone who was born with even more influence and status than even he. To his shock somehow, he could slightly understand his boss' problems. They were two troubled children of two illustrious Kage, and both of them could understand what it was like to be ignored. Konohamaru didn't say anything, he just continued to write down this information in his mind. "but you should give up, you really think that people will accept a runt like you. A child just can't become Hokage when he feels like it. Thing are never that simple, you keep saying Hokage, Hokage as if you rightfully deserve the title, to be a true Hokage you know what you have to do first."

"What, spit it out."

"You have to defeat me in battle first." stated Naruto giving a confident stare into Konohamaru's eyes. They were interrupted when a shadow, standing upon a branch appeared from above to which the Hokage hopefuls spun around to face Ebisu, who was giving Naruto that cold stare that was typical of those who hated him, Naruto gritted his teeth at the man, knowing that he hated that stare more than anything. "get lost closet pervert! Konohamaru doesn't want to train with a stuck up like you, I don't know how you can even walk with that ten-foot stick up your ass!"

"Oh the vulgarity, I am not a pervert! Another word from you and you shall regret it. Come, honourable grandson, we must attend to your training once more." retorted Ebisu to which Konohamaru decided to join with Naruto against his tutor.

"No way! I'm training under Naruto so I can defeat my grandfather and become the Hokage, now don't get in my way!" responded Konohamaru but his words fell on deaf ears as Ebisu only approached further, unconcerned with the boy's wishes and wants.

"A Hokage is more than just a fighter, he must be wise, righteous and possess honour one can never find in the average shinobi and he must know a thousand jutsu you barely know one jutsu." however his words only served to aggravate the younger Sarutobi who puts his hands together to form a seal to which the tutor stopped in his tracks and waited for what was to come. What it was was nothing more than a naked woman with smoke covering her important features. Ebisu himself was shocked to see such vulgarity and although stunned and bewildered by what he saw, he was not defeated by some common nose bleed.

"WHAT KIND OF SCANDALOUS TECHNIQUES IS THAT! THAT BOY HAS CORRUPTED YOU! WE MUST QUICKLY RECTIFY THIS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE! SUCH TASTELESS PROFANITY CAN NEVER INFLUENCE ME! NARUTO IS TURNING YOU INTO DELINQUENT ONLY I CAN PUT YOU ON THE TRACK TO BECOMING HOKAGE!" roared Ebisu utterly embarrassed by what he had just witness. It got to the point that Ebisu knew that he must drag Konohamaru by his scarf if need be. Naruto, however, could never let such a thing happen so he created **Kage bunshins** to surround Ebisu who looked hardly intimidated by the display. While Ebisu expected a fight, he didn't expect the mass amount of Naruto's to transform into nude female versions of himself, they quickly surrounded, rubbing their 'assets' against his limbs and form. Which resulted in a chronic nose bleed that sent him hurtling away, to which both Naruto and Konohamaru were laughing at the defeated Jōnin, being duped so easily by such a perverted technique.

"That was awesome! You defeated my tutor!" yelled Konohamaru in pure awe of Naruto's 'abilities'. "I really want a name people can acknowledge me by but yet I still can't be Hokage."

"You really think it will be that easy. To be the Hokage you must be the greatest of all shinobi, defeating a single opponent no matter how strong will never get you what you want. You have to prove yourself to everyone so that they know you will be a leader they can follow through any danger. I mean just look at me, I've already been through a lot, I've been ignored, pushed away and treated like dirt but yet even after all that I found people who believe in me, to find those people I had to persevere through so many trials and tribulations. If you ever want to be Hokage, say it when you're ready, until then, just keep fighting until you reach the end of that road. And by the way, there are no shortcuts on the road to Hokage!" Spoke Naruto inspiring Konohamaru, teaching him ways to be a shinobi that no one else could.

"Huh! I don't need your lectures, you don't know everything. You're not my boss any more. From today, we're rivals!" proclaimed Konohamaru as he pumped out his fist towards the blonde shinobi, giving him a grin to which Naruto returned it in full force.

"Well, it's not like I could be your trainer anyways. For Tomorrow, I'll be taking my first step as a shinobi, and be ever close to becoming Hokage. But one day I promise, I will fight you over the Hokage title, until that day, grow stronger and learn everything you can, for I will be waiting. Konohamaru." said Naruto before turning leave, not noticing Konohamaru large smile or the Sandaime Hokage watching form his crystal ball, pleased with how things were turning out.

* * *

For the Sage of Six Paths, watching from his mystical surface of the water in a plane unreachable by ninja, he couldn't help but hold back a smile of his own. Knowing that Asura had started down the path once more, as Naruto and that his son's wisdom and love for all things would one day blossom into a symbol, the Will of Fire.


	9. With Blind Eyes (part 2)

****Rebirth of the Two Sons****

****Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or any references I make. ****

Today was the day, the day everyone had been waiting for for. While this was a day like no other, for some this was the day that they take their first steps as shinobi, defenders of the village, the Hand of the Hokage. It really was a momentous day also given the fact that so many clan heirs from the Senju, Uchiha, Hyūga, Aburama, Inuzuka, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara, Haruno and Nii. All these names each had an individual that would be graduating, each one was a clan heir holding high status within the village. These individuals were Naruto Senju, Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyūga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Chōji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno and Yugito Nii. Each one had strived for this day, trained hard, perfected their skills. But they couldn't simply believe that it would be that easy.

* * *

For the Senju heir, the streams of sunlight flying through the gaps in his blinds from his window signaled the coming day. One stream fell into his right eye, to which the blonde heir huffed and grunted as the light filled every corner of his dark vision. He held up one hand to block with light as he lifted himself up from his bed, cracking his neck, stretching his arms and yawning loudly. Attempting to overcome the sleep that was still clinging to him, he groggily headed over to his cabinet, to which his clothes and shinobi gear were strung up by hangers and hooks. He slipped into his black and white attire, struggling somewhat as he did so since his eyes were half-closed. Because it was such an important day for him, he decided to celebrate early by heading over to Ichiraku ramen, just a single bowl of those heavenly noodles and broth would brighten any bad day. He quickly slipped his gear on, shuriken holsters, knapsacks with kunai's, smoke bombs and scrolls. He was just about to walk out of his room until something shiny on one of his desks glistened intently, catching his eye. It was the Hitai-ate that Iruka had given to him, a gift for graduating and becoming genin. He giggled as he slipped it on, over his forehead tightening and loosening it so it would fit like a glove.

He was just about to leave when a knock on his door resonated throughout his room. Without warning or any permission to enter, the door swung open to reveal Yugito, his surrogate sister, and unknowing fellow Jinchūriki. Yugito had dirty blonde hair with violet eyes, her hair was done up in a taut pony-tail that was wrapped in bandages, she wore a purple shirt to which her clan symbol was noticeable on its back which took the appearance of a lotus flower with tight black pants with a red sash around her waist and bandages over her arms.

"Huh! Yugito don't come in without permission I could have been naked for all you knew!" yelled Naruto which Yugito waved him off, unconcerned in the slightest.

"It's nothing that I haven't seen already." commented the girl to which Naruto's face went bright red, remembering the time he jumped out of the shower only to find the girl brushing her teeth, lets just say some punches and bruises were involved afterwards. "Anyway, Tsunade said that you graduated after some kind of makeup test or something."

"Yeah, long story but, at least, I graduated right? Now I'm one step closer to being Hokage!" shouted Naruto pumping his fist in the air with utter joy, the sight of which caused the girl to giggle at this hyperactive gesture, something which went unnoticed by the Senju heir. "But hey, since we both graduated we should head to Ichiraku ramen together, don't worry the bill, it's on me," said Naruto with a glint his eye flashing a thumbs-up, Yugito happily sighed at this before nodding slightly to which Naruto grabbed her by the wrist and they jumped out of his now open window. Doors are too cliché anyway.

For Yugito, she was certain that without a doubt moving to Konoha was the best thing to happen to her, she wasn't discriminated against or spat on when she would go on some walk around the town, taking in the sights, breathing fresh air. while some of the villagers did have trust issues because she came from a foreign village that was basically the worst of it, not a single person other than a select few knew she was a Jinchūriki, only the Hokage, the clan council and Tsunade knew and everything was better because of it. And she also knew Naruto was also a Jinchūriki, how could she not know when she understood why people stared at him like that, why they hated his very presence when he crossed their paths. She was going to do it, she was going to reveal that she was like him, she understood his pain more than anyone else.

* * *

The two quickly raced through the village, jumping across buildings and walls to reach their destination, with the smell of ramen filling their noses. It was if they were dogs on a trail, they instinctively knew where they were going and just decided to let their feet guide them. When they arrived they were treated to already fresh bowls of ramen from the kind owner of the bar to which they hungrily dug in. For Yugito this was a momentous day for her, all her life she was told that she would be a weapon of Kumo, to destroy their enemies and bring victory at any cost, but now she was here, in Konoha, living a normal life, becoming a normal ninja, it was a dream. A dream that she refused to wake up from. And Naruto, although she would refuse to admit it, he had, well, caught her heart, whether this was intentional was anyone's guess. Of course, she was adamant that she never reveal such a fondness to anyone on the planet even if it was her last breath. But the thought of Naruto and her, together, holding hands and other stuff. Even the thought of it made her red and burn like an oven. Of course, the tailed beast within her wasn't making things any easier as the Nibi encouraged her to flip him onto the bar and have her way with him right now, no strings attached, no cares or worries, which of course made her inadvertently blush more. She was sure her male companion didn't know, he was as dense as a rock, nothing got through him, plus the fact that he was slurping up ramen as if it was going to be his last meal on planet Earth and wasn't paying attention to anything around him. She just watched him, fantasising about a future together with the golden haired shinobi. This little fantasy of hers didn't last long as she was soon snapped from her stupor when the sound of a banging bowl hit the wood of the ramen bar, with Naruto announcing that he was was done, full, he couldn't eat anymore.

"All right, thanks, old man Teuchi for the ramen!" said Naruto with utter glee to which the chef merely gave him a thumbs up and telling him how the food was free, a present for the blonde for graduating to genin. Something which didn't go thankless as the two jinchūriki left the bar and started making their way towards the academy where they would be sorted into teams.

Naruto was really the only person in their she ever interacted with although she had ample opportunity to play with all the other children it was really Naruto that she clung to. To be separated from him would be uncomfortable, it's not like she relied on his presence but some comfort could go a long way in the grand scheme of things. she pursed her lips together as they walked to the academy, keeping her hands tightly wound together, her fingers looping together in hesitance, she wanted to blurt it out right there and now, and this was possibly her only chance, since there was the probability that they wouldn't be one a team. she had to do it now. She had no other choice.

"Hey, Naruto before we head over to the academy, I want to tell you something. Something that I only want you to know." spoke Yugito, kicking the dirt under her sandals gingerly, to which Naruto merely squinted his eyes in curiosity. He had never seen Yugito act this way before, she was headstrong, stubborn, blunt even. But whatever it was it seemed to be important so he followed Yugito to a nearby alleyway.

"**Alright Kitten, you have him where you want him, rip off those pants of his and have your way with him, give him something first so that he's in the mood when the real work begins**." spoke the sultry voice of the sex-drived perverted Nibi to which Yugito mentally told the giant flaming cat to shut up and to stop sending her naughty images that only served to embarrass her further.

"So what did you want to talk about Yugi-chan. I mean if you're worried we won't be on the same team then it shouldn't I mean we see each other basically every day." said Naruto trying to guess what was on the young girl's mind. Dammit! He just made things harder! The girl liked it when the boy was curious and considerate to her feelings which only caused her to stumble in her mind, it created a warm fuzzy feeling inside of her chest too. She mentally cursed herself, because of him that fuzzy feeling was caught in her throat, stopping her from muttering even a single word. She swallowed it down, worried that Naruto might hate her for what she was, just like everyone else in her home village.

"Well, Naruto." she had to do it, take the plunge go straight ahead and never look back, that part of her life was over, this new one was just beginning and she was determined to not let the truth ruin it for her.

"I'maJinchū , 'tchangeanythingbetweenus." squeaked Yugito to which Naruto stared at her impassively, lips pursed together, trying understanding what the girl said despite it being a jumbled mess. Yugito jumped a little when the blonde boy grabbed her by the shoulder a smile that stretched from ear to ear and as big as big could be.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew there was a reason I was attracted to you!" spoke Naruto gleefully causing Yugito's face to burn a new shade of scarlet at the close proximity of the clan heir and his words. He was attracted to her, as in, he liked her? I mean such a thing made her happy beyond belief even though she misunderstood his words. He actually meant that he was attracted to her in a strange psychic sort of way, it was because of the connection between their Bijū. "I mean I have the Kyūbi no Yōko in me but it's awesome that you have a bijū too!" upon hearing this Yugito wanted to face-fault as she understood the true meaning of his words before shaking her head in exasperation, some things never changed. They later made their way to the academy to await their new sensei and teams.

* * *

For Sakura Haruno, heir to the low standing Haruno clan, today was also a big day. Her clan has scraped by, after suffering many blows throughout the shinobi world wars. But today she was determined to change that, to change everything. For that was one of the reasons she wanted to become a shinobi, the other reason being to one day properly thank the one who defended her so many years ago. He stood up for her when no one else would, even as something as small and minuscule as that can mean a difference at the very end of it. The pink-haired girl heard her mother call out to her which she responded with earnest as she soon left her home and for the academy.

She was going over who would be her teammates, well she hated Ino's guts so anyone but her really, Yugito was nice she could definitely foresee a lasting friendship there, maybe Hinata, although would they actually start a conversation? You know, being so shy and stuff like that. Although she wouldn't mind being with Naruto, given that he was the one she wanted to thank, while many saw his failures and shortcomings, she was one of the few to see his compassion, his determination to go against the odds and prove to those who look down on him that he is not some failure like many believe.

Her thoughts were broken when she passed by the Yamanaka flower shop, and her nemesis, Ino Yamanaka emerged from the store. The two of them traded ice glares at one another and noticeable frowns that seemed to raise the temperature of the entire street.

"Sakura."

"Ino." other than that simple exchange of words, Sakura went on her merry way, attempting to pay Ino no piece of mind. Said blonde girl didn't mind in the slightest, it was just a thing that Sakura used on those who earned her ire. For now, the both of them were willing to walk in utter silence, not even offer the simplest of glances to the other. As they walked side by side, both staring at the path before them did Ino think of the perfect idea of aggravating the pink-haired girl.

"So they actually let you graduate, what a joke. Just make sure you don't fall on your kunai and kill yourself, the only that will be remembered about is that forehead of yours." taunted Ino, to which she was successful in this little endeavour of hers as Sakura's left eye twitched ever so slightly, a clear sign that Ino's jab had stung her rival, just a bit.

"Oh please, you're going to have to come up with better material than that. We are both shinobi, equals. But don't expect me to lose to you anymore, I hope you get acquainted with my shadow, you'll be staring at it soon enough." spoke Sakura as she moved two paces ahead of her rival, to which Ino did the same only moving four paces. This went on as the two had a heated match to see who could get to the academy first.

* * *

As for Naruto and Yugito, they were already seated amongst the other students, talking about what kind of sensei's they'll have and the new Jutsu they were going to learn. Some students in the class were a little confused as to why the Senju heir was among them, despite the fact that he had failed the graduation exam. Something which Shikamaru Nara decided to probe when he saw Naruto's presence among the other students.

"What are you doing here Naruto, this isn't for no good drop-outs you can't be here unless you graduate." stated the Nara heir, this statement was returned in full by the blonde who merely pointed to his headband.

"Open your eyes Shikamaru, this is a hitai-ate. Meaning I'm a shinobi just like you. We're gonna be training together so you might as well get used to it." spoke Naruto to which Shikamaru merely sighed a 'troublesome' before finding a seat at the very back of the class. Unknown to the Senju heir a pair of pearly white eyes staring at him from the corner of the room, belonging to Hinata Hyūga, contested heiress of the Hyūga clan, currently the strongest clan in Konoha. After the void left behind by the Uchiha and the Senju clans the Hyūga quickly stepped up and filled that void, a title they've held since the massacre of the Uchiha clan. Hinata, who was training her eyes upon the blonde could only be happy for the heir, with whom she has an affection for.

Soon enough the thundering sound of a stampede of what could only be described as hulking Rhino's burst through the doors, arms spread out wide as each proclaimed themselves to be the winner. It was Sakura and Ino, tired and sore from all that running, taking sharp intakes of breath while still glaring at the other. Before Naruto even had the time to notice, Ino was trying to pull the blonde away so she could grab a seat next to the 'love of their life'.

Although Ino was struggling to get the Senju out of the chair, Naruto wouldn't budge, it got to the point that many more girls who were infatuated with Sasuke decided to join Ino in trying to remove Naruto from the seat. This whole situation was spiralling out of control when three girls tried to pull the Uchiha survivor from his seat in an attempt to make him set with them. It quickly escalated into a congealed mass of bodies, each trying to push and pull the heirs just so a single girl could sit next to the guy that thinks them to be idiots if nothing else.

Naruto and Sasuke quickly lost their footing from all the tugging and shoving and found no flat surface to stand on. Then, there was silence. Not a pin drop could be heard, not a single whisper, events had unfolded so quickly that barely anyone had the time to understand what had occurred in a single second. Those who watched it happen, those who were clamouring for the Uchiha heir were struck with shock and sorrow.

For upon the floor was Sasuke, locking lips with Naruto, the Uchiha's body resting upon the Senju's as both were wide-eyed and scarred by what had just transpired and the horrible truth they would live with for the rest of their lives. They were each other's first kiss. Naruto quickly pushed Sasuke off him and both gasped for air and spat out the taste of each other's lips, saying how their mouths were rotting or how they would kill each other. Naruto even felt like taking a kunai and scraping Sasuke's taste off his tongue, quickly enough the Senju heir could sense danger as the many girls in the class who were 'in love' with Sasuke quickly took out their frustrations upon the blonde, even though it was their fault such a thing happened.

Before long Iruka finally arrived and looked over all his students and the especially took note of the ones who he believed would succeed the most. Unfortunately for Naruto who was a steaming mess, he could do nothing but whimper as Yugito patted his back while he nursed his large bumps and bruises, she couldn't try and help her best friend since all the other girls had gotten in the way when that 'incident' occurred.

"Alright, class. As of today, you are now shinobi to reach this point you faced many trials but that's nothing to what you face ahead of you, what comes next for all of you will be far more difficult. Now you are an only genin, ninjas in training. As you may know, all genin will be grouped into teams of three, however, there will be one group of four that have been put together by special order of the Hokage." spoke Iruka sparking interest in everyone as they quickly began whispering among themselves, trying to determine who are the four-man team. "Now each team will be lead by a chosen jōnin who will train you in the art of shinobi combat and deception." continued Iruka causing thoughts to run wild over who will be on their team, Sakura, well she was happy with anyone but Ino, Yugito and Hinata just wanted to be on teams with Naruto and Naruto himself, anyone but his former best friend Sasuke. "Each team has a balance of strengths and weaknesses that is how we have always set them up. And the teams are." it didn't take long for Iruka to fly through the names of each team though he was not aware of who their Jōnin teachers were, that decision and information were left to the Hokage and the appointed ninja. "Team 7, Naruto Senju." said Iruka, causing Naruto's ears to perk up in response and wait in anticipation of who is his team-mates. "Yugito Nii." both Jinchūriki cheered internally at the thought that they would be among familiar faces. "Sakura Haruno." said the girl was pleased to hear that total strangers were not on her team and given how Naruto was among them it would give her a perfect opportunity to thank him for what he did those years ago. "and Sasuke Uchiha. This is the special four-man team the Hokage specifically ordered." upon hearing this, Hinata was disheartened that the Senju heir was not going to be on her team, she believed that she would end up with Naruto and was disappointed to learn that wasn't the case. "Team 8 is Hinata Hyūga, Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka." Ino was enraged upon learning that she was not with her 'love' and was even more infuriated to learn that Sakura and Yugito were on the team with Sasuke, mistakenly believing that the two of them were after Sasuke, which wasn't the case.

"I don't get what you even see in a punk like him." muttered Shikamaru which in turn earned Ino's ire as she rounded on him like an angry bull.

"You must be clueless don't you get why?"

"No, I don't because I'm not a girl and I don't swing that way."

"You are just full of yourself, jealousy is a terrible thing, I'd hate to be on your team."

"Team 10, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi." stated Iruka as Ino internally wept at this news, she was on the same team as Shikamaru and Chōji food boy and the lazy ass. She later started banging her head against the table upon seeing Shikamaru's smug smile which only served as fuel for the fire.

"Iruka-sensei! Why does a completely awesome ninja like me have to be on the same team as a slug like Sasuke?!" roared Naruto as he pointed at his former best friend, who remained impassive, Naruto's insult not even registering in his mind that nor he didn't particularly care either. The blonde was nothing more than a blip on his map, the crumbs from his food, simply put he didn't care.

"Sasuke had the best grades overall. Naruto you had the worst grades, the dead-last to put it simply. To create a balanced team we put the best student with the worst student." responded Iruka causing Naruto to grit his teeth in admonishment as he glared at the Uchiha who seemingly still continued his attitude of his.

"Just make sure you don't get in my way, loser." Iruka could see that a fight was going to break out at any moment between the two, he sighed slightly as he observed Naruto throw death threats at Sasuke.

"After lunch you will meet your Jōnin teachers, meet them back here when you're ready, until then class dismissed." spoke Iruka as the forms of the many students rushed out of the room, each one talking and saying how they were going to be the greatest shinobi in history and that they'll be in the history books, after all, is said and done. Naruto and Yugito swiftly left, deciding to eat their lunch together in private away from prying eyes and insulting words. The two Jinchūriki found themselves eating rice and drinking water letting time fly by them until Yugito decided to broach the topic of Naruto and Sasuke.

"So why do you hate Sasuke so much? I know that you two were like best friends a long time ago but what happened between you two?" questioned Yugito as Naruto frowned at the question, bitter over what happened on 'that' day, the day that Sasuke said they were no longer friends, only obstacles in each other's paths. They abandoned their dream of erasing the hatred of all men and women and instead desired to walk their own paths.

"Well other than him being a selfish prick, there's nothing much to say." rebuked Naruto willing to eat his lunch in perpetual silence just to strafe away from the topic of his former best friend. They then sat together in silence, letting it reign over them until they returned to their classroom to await their sensei.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a small room of wood with a single paper window was the Hokage and his child-hood friends and advisors. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the two of them were staunch believers in the Will of Fire, but their insistence on Konoha taking a more militaristic approach to their shinobi forces. After the Kyūbi attack decimated most of those forces years ago, the three advisors of the Hokage have pushed for a more aggressive response to any threat of turmoil, a show of strength so to keep their enemies at bay and their people safe. They were gathered here today because of specific worries they had with the formation of the special four-man team that the Hokage personally put together.

"I spent most of the morning and afternoon briefing Kakashi on his new team. He reacted with any such news in his usual aloof manner, but even I knew that he had worries. Specifically with three of the four." spoke Hiruzen smoking on his pipe, taking in the fumes and letting it cleanse his soul if only temporarily until his afternoon headache started to seep in. His two former team-mates didn't share his hopeful views on the team if anything they were more worried about it than anyone else judging from their furrowed brows, frowns and grimaces.

"You placed Naruto and Yugito on the same team with Sasuke Uchiha and of course, Kakashi is their sensei." stated Koharu in a frustrated manner which only meant that she disagreed with something that her friend had done.

"Yes, I believe Kakashi is a good fit, being a student of Minato, he knows how to respond to certain situations that arise, he also knows about the seals on Naruto and Yugito and how to respond to them should something go awry. He also has much in common with Sasuke so he would be a good mentor towards the last Uchiha, as for Sakura I can see him turning her into at the very least a decent shinobi." continued Hiruzen as he leaned back in his chair, awaiting the verbal onslaught from the two old bats that continued to screech.

"It doesn't matter whether he is the right sensei for them or not. What do you plan to do if Naruto and Yugito are on missions and those 'things' inside them suddenly goes wild and attacks." rebuked Koharu as Hiruzen only sighed while staring up at the wooden roof as a migraine suddenly started settling into the crevices of his mind.

"That is not the only concern, two Jinchūriki running around in the open, ripe for the pickings, any village would drool at the chance to gain two more bijū's added to their roster, it's as if your serving them up on a silver platter. The wisest course of action is to keep them both confined to the village, under 24/7 hour watch by an ANBU team. We also question your choice of putting them together with Sasuke." spoke Homura adding his own thoughts to the matter, while he didn't necessarily care for the Jinchūriki, the power they brought to the village was a deterrence, a message to other villages that their power would not be trifled with. All the while, Danzō Shimura, the Shinobi no Kami was listening through the wooden door. He mistakenly believed that by putting Naruto and Yugito on the same team as Sasuke, it obviously meant that the Uchiha would be able to control those beasts and this make the village even stronger. For someone who claimed to know Hiruzen well, he couldn't begin to grasp the nature of that man's mind.

* * *

Now the team of four was back at the classroom, the air was thick with annoyance at the fact that their Jōnin sensei so unceremoniously late, now it's not like the 'fashionably late' it's 'really late' to the point of just being rude. All the other students were swept away by their sensei's but team 7 was stuck in the same place for three hours now with high nor low of any badass shinobi walking through that door.

"Ok that's it!" shouted Naruto as he grabbed a chalk eraser and a stool and placing the eraser in between the doors, Yugito and Sasuke who were observing weren't impressed. Their teacher was among the elite as if they would fall for something so juvenile. The only one that went along with this little scheme of Naruto's was Sakura, who fully endorsed the prank. Right on queue and out of nowhere a hand gripped the door and pulled it aside to which the eraser predictably fell onto the Jōnin's head, spraying chalk dust over his hair and clothes. The entire room (which only consisted of the four of them) stood still, comprehending the sheer sight before them, a trained elite ninja falling for a prank that was neither the most cunning now spectacular. Yugito and Sasuke also wondered if this man was even a Jōnin. Then came the loud laugh of the blonde Senju, proud of his achievement against his new teacher. "I got him, he totally fell for it." giggled Naruto as Sakura too suppressed some chuckles of her own at the sight even though she was slightly afraid that she would get in trouble over such a stupid prank. Kakashi, picked up the eraser from the ground, not bothering to wipe out the dust from his hair as he held the cleaning tool in his hand.

"Hmm, how can I put this in a way that won't hurt your feelings. My first impression of this team is." said Kakashi as he held his chin in his hand, contemplating all the great questions of the universe. "... I hate you all." muttered Kakashi causing the four genin to face-fault at his words. The team later founds themselves upon the roof of the academy, sitting upon the staircase while their sensei leaned against the railing nearby. "Now why don't you go ahead and introduce yourselves."

"Well what do you want to know?" queried Yugito as she sat cross-legged on the staircase, next to Naruto.

"Well, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams of the future all that stuff that isn't important." dead-panned Kakashi causing the team to frown slightly at his words, it almost seemed that he didn't care about any of them, rather he was treating them as if they were flies buzzing around his face. The typical annoyances.

"Why don't you do it first, we know nothing about you." uttered Naruto to which Kakashi nodded slightly at the reasoning of the blonde genin.

"Me? Well, I'm Kakashi Hatake, head of the Hatake clan. Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that. Dreams for the future, never really thought about it. As for hobbies... I have lots of hobbies." each one of the genin frowned at the Jōnin their eyes narrowing in annoyance while their bodies slumped in irritation, the only thing he did tell them was his name and position in his clan, basically useless information. "Ok, now it's your turn, you on the right."

"My name is Naruto Senju, I like ramen, red bean soup and training with Tentō. I dislike vegetables and the time it takes to cook ramen. My hobbies are pulling pranks and watering plants. And my dream... to surpass the Hokage and have the village acknowledge me as a person, someone they can look up to!" roared Naruto, to which Kakashi only raised a single eyebrow at the heir, everything from the way he shouted, his own appearance even his habits and hobbies. All so similar to a former team-mate of his.

'He's grown up in an interesting way, and Tentō, that's his pet dragon huh?' "alright next." said the teacher as Yugito decided to speak up this time.

"My name is Yugito Nii. I like tekkadon and milk along with learning new songs, I dislike anything spicy and people who are assholes, my hobbies are playing the shamisen and my dream for the future... well it's hard to explain." said Yugito to which Kakashi merely nodded, his single eye scanning the Nibi Jinchūriki from her body language, the words she used even the movement in her eyes. Kakashi could tell what her dream was to keep her life in Konoha alive, not a bad dream really.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like dumplings, umeboshi and reading about history. I dislike those who make fun of my forehead and Ino, my hobbies are memorising complex puzzles and trivia games and my dream for the future is to be admired by everyone as a strong kunoichi." Kakashi merely nodded his head at this, at least she didn't think about boys constantly in her mind, she might just shape up to be a decent kunoichi one day. So long as childish fantasies don't get in the way.

"My name... is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, for it will become reality, I will restore the power of the Uchiha and kill a certain someone." spoke Sasuke in such a dark fashion that the sunlight grew dimmer with his words. Naruto and Kakashi knew who he wanted to kill, the picture of that person appeared instantly in their minds. While Yugito and Sakura were a little intimidated by the Uchiha's words, frightened even by what he said.

"Good each one of you is unique and your own ideas and philosophies are interesting. We will have our first mission tomorrow. It's a task that the five of us will do together. It's a survival exercise." continued Kakashi disappointing some of the genin in his presence.

"But sensei we learnt all about this in the academy that's how we were able to get here in the first place." responded Sakura, finding faults in Kakashi's words. Naruto only huffed, more training, a badass ninja like him should be going on missions, finding treasure, beating up bad guys that sort of thing.

"So what kind of training is it?" questioned the blonde to which the others nodded, wanting to know just as much as the Senju heir. They frowned some more as they observed Kakashi chuckling to himself. "Hey what's funny it was just a normal question."

"If I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it. Of the twenty-eight graduates that reached this point, only nine will be actually be accepted as genin, the failures will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. Basically, this is a make-it-or-break-it, pass or fail test and the chance that you fail is at least 66%." continued the-the Jōnin, causing all the genin to grit their teeth in anxiousness and clenching their fists with fear. "see didn't I tell you that you wouldn't like it."

"Oh come on, we broke bones just to get it this far, if we fail anyway what's the point of graduating in the first place!" yelled Naruto clenching his fist as a vein on his forehead bulged in irregular intervals.

"Oh that, that was just to select those who show the attributes of ninja, basically to select those who do become genin and seeing if they are really worth the time and effort, that's how it is, I decide whether you pass or fail. Anyway, tomorrow you have to show your skills at the appointed training ground at 05:00 AM. And bring as much shinobi weapons and gear as you want, you'll need it. Oh, and skip breakfast, you might throw up." warned Kakashi as he disappeared in a gale of leaves, leaving behind the genin to ponder his words, each with determined looks in their eyes, they would not be weaklings or the failures that went back to the academy.

'I won't fail, there's too much on my shoulders for me to fail, I won't be the disgrace to my clan any longer.' asserted Naruto in his mind, grinding his teeth together as the others either clenched their fists or narrowed their eyes.

* * *

When the morning came, the four genin were groggily heading towards the training ground, eyes half-closed and looked ready to fall at any moment and just sleep until noon came. They huddled under a tree, waiting there for six hours for their sensei to arrive, however the much more experienced shinobi was no where in sight, no high or low of the masked man. They even wondered if Kakashi would show up today or was he eaten by a bear? Swallowed by a black hole? Or literally got lost? They kept formulating the answers in their minds, each one entertaining them as the hours went by.

"Hey guys, good morning." called out Kakashi as he finally arrived as Naruto, Yugito and Sakura all jumped to their feet and pointed at the lazy Jōnin screaming at the top of their lungs.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"Well a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way round, sorry about that." said Kakashi eye-smiling with a happy tune in his voice, seemingly taking pleasure from the genin's discomfort. "Well, now that you're all here. Let's get started." the silver-haired ninja merely set down his bag on the ground and pulled out a large clock from within its pouches before setting it down on top of an old log and pulled some bells out of his pocket, the iconic jingling catching the genin's ears. "This is how it works. This clock is set for noon, the assignment is very simple, you just have to take these two bells from me before time runs out. That's all there is too it. If you can't get them by noon you go without lunch, you will be tied to those posts and watch as I eat my lunch in front of you." at the mention of food all the genin's stomachs growled as if they were hungry beasts, understanding why Kakashi told them not to have breakfast. "You only have to get a single bell to pass, of course since there are only two, two of your will definitely be tied to those stumps. And the person who doesn't take a bell will be sent back to the academy then again all four of you can fail and still be sent to the academy. You can use any ninja tools at your disposal, be it swords, kunai, shuriken, senbon or anything, so long as they are recognised tools and you won't succeed unless you come at me with the intention to kill, otherwise you won't be able to take a bell."

"Man this will be easy, you couldn't dodge an eraser, you're definitely going to die." spoke Naruto with his hands behind his head chuckling, to which Kakashi decided to bring him down a peg or two.

"In the real world, those with no talent bark the loudest, they are the weakest links in the chain, you can safely ignore them, lowest scores, losers, dead-lasts." Naruto so enraged by his sensei's words whipped out a kunai from his pouch and charged at the masked man, hoping to at least make him regret his words. Before the Senju boy could even get close, a fast shadow moved in from behind, if one was to blink they would miss it, and if they didn't blink they would still miss it. Kakashi, gripping Naruto's hand that held the kunai was pointing it at the back of his skull, ready to end it all with one swift push. "don't be in such a hurry, I didn't say start yet. And it seems that you finally have the intent to kill me, meaning you've acknowledged me, how kind of you. It's tough to say but I'm actually beginning to like you guys. Prepare yourselves. START!" commanded Kakashi and the four genin quickly took to cover, hiding among the trees and bushes, watching Kakashi as if they were hawks, scanning for weaknesses or wounds. "Shinobi must know how to conceal their movements and hide themselves from danger." 'well they understand that much, they must not be complete idiots after-' right there standing in front of him was Naruto, boasting how he was going to defeat him in mortal combat or something along those lines. "Compared to the others, you're a little... weird."

"The only thing weird here is your haircut." said the Senju as he directly charged at the Jōnin making sure to run in a zig-zag formation, peaking the older ninja's interest. Kakashi merely reached into his knapsack, ready to pull something out within a moment's notice.

"Shinobi battle techniques lesson 1# taijutsu." spoke Kakashi causing Naruto to stop in his stride and prepare himself for what he was going to pull out a kunai? Shuriken? It WAS. Icha Icha paradise, one of Jiraiya's pervy novels. This caused Naruto and all those who were watching to face fault at the sight of the book, not only because it was a book, but a smutty book at that, this only served to infuriate Sakura and Yugito who were watching causing them to growl like tigers and for fire to consume their forms. "What are you waiting for tough guy? Weren't you going to attack?"

"Why? Why?" said Naruto his eyes overshadowed by his hair, as if he was just insulted by his worst enemy (Something which was not too far off). "WHY WOULD YOU READ SUCH TRASH?!"

"Why to find out what happens in the story of course. Don't let it bother you, with your weak attacks it doesn't matter if I'm reading or whatever." said Kakashi impassively to which Naruto's ears were bustling at smoke in pure anger, this guy was a fan! Naruto then leapt towards Kakashi so to punch him in the cheek which was blocked easily by the more experienced shinobi, this was swiftly followed by a kick across the face which Kakashi dodged by squatting. The blonde then let loose another punch to which Kakashi disappeared before his very eyes, unaware that the jōnin was right behind him. "A ninja should never let the enemy get behind him." said Kakashi forming his hands into a seal, ready to unleash a Jutsu upon the blonde. Sakura called out for Naruto to get out of there but it was far too late. "too late.' said Kakashi with a glint in his eye, thrusting his fingers forward and right into Naruto's rear. "**Konohagakure Hiden Taijutsu Ōgi: Sennen Goroshi (Konohagakure secret taijutsu technique: One thousand Years of Death)!**" roared Kakashi as he performed the technique. Only upon his fingers making contact did the Naruto before him burst into a log, signifying the use of the **Kawarimi no Jutsu (replacement technique)** surprising Kakashi. Before the more experienced ninja had time to react he was suddenly grabbed from behind by two other Naruto's. The move causing every one who was watching to be surprised and shocked.

While Kakashi was restrained by the two other Naruto's, the log below him burst into smoke once more revealing Naruto again who used the **Kawarimi **once again to replace himself with the log as he lunged forward and touched one of the bells. Just the sight of this amazed Sakura, Yugito and impressed Sasuke who were all watching. Two of them never even expected that Naruto would use such a clever plan to get one of the bells. However with Kakashi's greater speed and reflexes, he was able to throw one of the clones of Naruto onto the one that just touched the bells, causing the two of them to disperse into plumes of smoke before throwing the other one away into the river nearby which he guessed was the real Naruto.

'He sent of his clones out as a distraction, and waited for the perfect chance to strike, which he would then replace the clone with a log as two more clones restrained me from behind where he replaced himself once again with the log so to get close to the bells, taking advantage of that small gap of time and he touched one of the bells, I seriously underestimated him, next time I won't be so careless because this one is tricky, and the rumours were true, he can use (**Kage bunshin no Jutsu)**. But what will he do next?' spoke Kakashi internally never guessing such deception from the blonde ninja, it seemed like something that even he and the Yondaime would think of. A clever plan, but will his next move be any better.

Right on schedule as a volley of shuriken and kunai exploded from the water, flying right towards the silver haired ninja who easily caught and deflected some of the weapons, slightly disappointed at the attempt. What he didn't expect was the weapons themselves to turn into multiple Naruto's who each fired, even more, weapons at the shinobi. Kakashi surprised by this quickly evaded these weapons as multiple Naruto's engaged him in taijutsu until both combatants became nothing more than tangled limbs. He then saw a blur heading right for the bells, touching them once again as Naruto could just only grasp the metal in his hands. What came next was a shock to everyone as the Naruto who was reaching for the bells accidentally pulled down the pants of another Naruto, revealing the ramen-themed underpants. All the Naruto's gave a silent scream at the sight while everyone watching merely blushed or regarded the scene as juvenile. When the commotion had ended, the Senju heir released all the clones until only he was standing in the field of grass, alone. He was unable to react when a rope suddenly encircled around his chest, sweeping him off his feet and tying him to a nearby tree.

"Nice try there, you were able to touch them once again. Disguising your clones as weapons and revealing themselves once they got close enough, that actually worked. But you failed to foresee your opponent's own abilities, abilities that he could use against you. That's why your bell-less and tied to a tree. You must be able to see what's underneath the underneath, to anticipate what your enemies will do after they have done it if you don't it could cost the life of one of your team-mates and friends." spoke Kakashi, to which the Senju heir pouted but otherwise, surprised? Kakashi was teaching him? How to be a better shinobi than what he is now. Naruto then widened his eyes as kunai and shuriken burst from a nearby bush and stabbed Kakashi in the sides and face, shocking the blonde and revealing who it was, the best in the group when it comes to weapons, Sasuke. Naruto's shock waned after seeing Kakashi burst into a log, the weapons embedded into the wood.

* * *

Sasuke after seeing this, quickly abandoned his hiding spot, knowing that his sensei had discovered his location and was now barrelling towards him. 'he lowered his guard on purpose so to discover my location and I fell for it.'

Naruto still tied to the tree was shifting and twitching against the rope, he tried to pull his hands together so to form a the seal for the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, though successful he only made one clone who threw shuriken against the bindings of the rope, cutting it in several places. The now freed Naruto then quickly manoeuvred in mid air, placing his feet against the trunk of the tree and pushing himself off, jumping a fair distance away, the reason to this was because of Kakashi's words, the Jōnin seemed like the type to place a trap underneath another trap so he would be caught again when he tried to escape, with his shadow clone in tow the Naruto's rushed into the forest after their sensei.

Sasuke after hearing a scream of utter despair only turned his head from side to side, trying to ascertain the source of said scream and the sound of muffled protest? That one confused him but otherwise he would not allow such distractions to sway him from his path. He figured that Kakashi had already eliminated Sakura and Yugito, he wondered what he deployed against them, traps? Weapons?

"Shinobi battle techniques #2 Genjutsu. Sakura being proficient in genjutsu was able to counter some of the illusions I conjured, if only for a while, she's now walking around the forest, dazed confused and scared, sans the screams."

"I'm not like any of them." claimed Sasuke as Kakashi leaned against a tree, his focus completely on the book and nothing else, in fact, he shrugged off the Uchiha's words as if he had heard them countless times before.

"Well, I know that whatever type of genjutsu probably won't work on someone as great as you, and to be honest I don't want to either. Yugito tried to set traps for me using her own weapons and ninja tools, she's currently tied up and gagged probably swearing to cut off pieces of me, slowly. Naruto has shown the most promise out of all of you, at least in the deception part, he was able to touch the bells twice. You're definitely different from them, 1. you don't fall for the same tricks as Sakura, 2. You, at least, foresee further actions of mine, unlike Yugito, 3. You haven't touched a single bell, that's the biggest difference, Naruto just seems better than you, surprisingly, he, at least, understands the true ways of the shinobi. So go ahead, take a bell... Sasuke-kun." taunted Kakashi knowing that comparing Sasuke to the failures and achievements of his teammates would aggravate the Uchiha, catching him off his guard.

Sasuke quickly ducked his hands into his knapsack before launching several kunai and shuriken at the much more experienced shinobi who predictably dodged them all, something which Sasuke wanted as he then lobbed a kunai at a string of rope, releasing the trap he had set for the jōnin. Kakashi then dodged the barrage of kunai that flew at him before piercing a tree, the silver-haired man soon enough had to defend himself from the attacks of Sasuke who had engaged him in taijutsu, aiming a kick at his head which the Hatake had grabbed easily, before grasping a fist from the younger shinobi, which was followed with an inverted axe-kick which Kakashi also blocked and leaving him without limbs to defend himself as Sasuke barely touched one of the bells attached to Kakashi's hip. Once realising this, the two quickly separated from the other, putting some distance between the other so to await their next move.

Sasuke merely turned around on the spot, flowing through hand seals before releasing a large ball of fire at Kakashi, the **Gōkakyū no jutsu (Great fireball technique) **which (while surprising Kakashi at the amount of chakra Sasuke possessed) the Jōnin was to easily dodge the barrage of fire. After the flames had died out, the Uchiha heir searched around the small field for his opponent, finding high nor low of his sensei, until something clasped itself around his foot in a vice-like grip which quickly pulled him under the ground, leaving nothing but his head exposed to the air. The fresh genin could only struggle and squirm in the earth as Kakashi appeared before him, giving him an eye-smile at the boy's misfortune.

"Shinobi battle techniques #3 Ninjutsu. You have talent and you were right, you are different from all the others, you were able to touch the bells, once, though, but Naruto still touched them twice, guess that's what makes you different from him and different isn't always best. They say the nail that sticks out is the one that gets hammered down."

* * *

Elsewhere, the heir of the Senju clan was sitting by the memorial stone, where the names of heroes of Konoha were engraved on its form, each giving their lives for the future of their village and loved ones. The blonde had discovered where Kakashi had hidden the lunches and with his stomach pushing him onward an evil idea came to mind. Eating the lunches before time runs out was nowhere in the rules, so the Senju decided to engorge himself on the food before the clock runs out, unaware of the shadow hanging over him like a cloud.

* * *

They had failed, each and every one of them, not a single one could take a bell from the crafty shinobi. Two of them were tied to posts and stripped of their lunch, those two being Naruto and Sakura. Why would the blonde be tied up if he did so well in deceiving the Jōnin? Well, he tried to have lunch before the clock expired thus while he didn't break any rules, his devilish mind found himself in more trouble than it was worth. And Sakura was jut there by default. Each of their stomachs growled like beasts as Kakashi watched on amused by the scene.

"Stomachs growling... you four really must be hungry... oh and by the way about this simple exercise. Well I have decided, I won't send any of you back to the academy." stated Kakashi-sensei causing the four genin to adopt expressions of confusion and relief.

"Then that means all four of us!"

"Yes... all four of you should just quit as shinobi." spoke Kakashi, a harrowing echo of silence surged from the four of them, the cheers dying down in favour of gasps and cold sweat. "all of you are just punks who don't deserve to be ninja, everyone one of you is better off collecting groceries than ninja tools." continued Kakashi as Sasuke sprung into action, anger and resentment blinding him as he charged at the Jōnin, who was destroying his ambitions and goals, he promised himself that he would avenge his clan, all those that died on that night. Within a flash Sasuke was pinned to the ground, a boot on his head and his arm in a lock. "You think this is just some game, that's what makes you punks, losers. You don't know what it means to be ninja, are you underestimating those who came before? Why do we divide genin into groups, did any of you consider that question for the slightest moment." Sakura spoke up voicing her confusion over the subject manner. "What I mean is you never realised the true purpose of this entire exercise." However he was only met with Naruto's befuddled question to which the answer was so blatant so obvious even a small child would guess the answer. "yes, the answer that helps you pass this test, the one that determines whether you are true ninja or not. Use your heads, usually three people on a single team, why do you think we would do such a thing. Teamwork. If all four of you worked together as a single cohesive group you might have taken the bells."

"What do you mean by teamwork? There are only two bells! Even if we worked together two of us would have been sent back to the academy no matter what! By giving us two bells you just caused infighting and selfishness!" shouted Yugito growing angrier and angrier with each word Kakashi spoke, why would he set them up as a team with two bells when he knew that such a thing would divide them in the first place.

"That's the whole point, it was created to cause infighting and instability. The true purpose was to see if you would set aside your own selfish ambitions and successfully work together as a team to take the bells. Yet all four of you. Yugito! You decided to rely on your mind, you formulated several strategies and traps but never did you take your team-mates into account. Sakura! Instead of helping any of your comrades you decided to look out for yourself, not once did you ever lift a finger to help your friends who were in need. Naruto! You attacked head on, and among the four you were the most successful, however, you handled things by yourself believing you could take the bells with your own wit and skills, you thought you could do everything on your own. Sasuke! You just assumed everyone else was so far beneath you that they were worthless, that they would get in your way. Pure arrogance from each of you. Shinobi missions assigned by the Hokage are carried out by teams, of course, individual skill is paramount also but teamwork is the most essential element. Every person that dares call themselves shinobi understands this when, individuals put themselves above the team their actions could lead to failure and the death of a comrade. For example. Yugito kill Sakura in front of Naruto or Sasuke dies." said Kakashi as he whipped out a kunai and held it towards Sasuke's neck, the cold metal of the blade barely touching the Uchiha's neck. Yugito, Naruto and Sakura all responded with typical shock and fear at what the sensei had commanded them to do. "you see that's what happens when on a mission." continued Kakashi as he removed the blade from Sasuke's neck, twirling it around upon his index finger. "The enemy takes a hostage and they leaves with you an impossible choice to make and someone ends up dead. On every mission your life is on the line you would be risking the duties that you uphold as shinobi of Konoha." spoke Kakashi as he hefted himself off Sasuke and approached the intricately carved stone monument that bore the names of heroes of old. "look at this stone, the numerous names engraved upon it. They are all ninja who are recognised and honoured as heroes to the village, with some of the names dating back to the very beginning of the Hidden Villages. This memorial, my best friend's name is also carved upon it, he gave his life for his team, to save them rather than save himself, I come here and honour his sacrifice... every day... I will give you all one more chance, but I'm going to make it much harder on all of you. Each of you will have three hours to get a bell, eat your lunch now to build up your strength but do not under any condition give Naruto and Sakura any. It's your punishment for breaking the rules. And if anyone tries to feed them, they will immediately fail. I make the rules, you obey. Simple." said Kakashi as he disappeared in a plume of smoke.

The minutes passed and the growling of empty stomachs continued to ring across the field, which only grew worse upon sighting the food before them. When it became apparent that the two would only be weaker without food did Sasuke, scanning over his shoulders decide to take a plunge and offer the two their food.

"Here, take it quickly." said Sasuke as he hovered his food near Naruto as the other three became dismayed at this unselfish attitude, it was going against Kakashi's rules and thus Sasuke could be caught at any moment. "Kakashi's gone, we need to take those bells as a team. If Sakura and Naruto are hungry they will be weak and ineffective. That will hurt the team in the end and jeopardise the mission." following his example Yugito fed Sakura some of her food while Sasuke fed Naruto some of his own, considering that they couldn't move their arms, they would need to be hand-fed like babies in order to regain their strength. Just then a violent gale of smoke and leaves appeared as Kakashi came bursting from out of nowhere, his single eye white enraged at what he had just witnessed.

"YOU FOUR! Pass." said Kakashi, eye-smiling at the last minute as they genin were awe-struck before settling into complacency as the seconds passed by. "congratulations, you are the first under my watch to pass, you should be proud. Everyone else just did as I commanded and they fell like dominoes. They were quite literally morons. A shinobi must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash." The sensei gave a thumbs up, proud of what he had seen, perhaps a team could be moulded as if they were clay to be the best they could be. "That ends the training, our first mission as team 7 starts tomorrow!"

* * *

Watching from the waters of his dimension, the Sage could only watch, smile, laugh and clap for his sons. They had cooperated with each other, just the sight of it brought back memories to the sage, of their youths, their juvenile fights and ultimately their love for one another, which only seemed as strong as ever. However, fate had brought them together, but the fate they choose would ultimately lead to their destiny. And the old Sage would be their witness.

**Sorry if I hadn't posted sooner, lots of stuff has been happening. now in this chapter team 7 has been formed with a notable new addition. The reason why Naruto is closer to canon is to see him change throughout his adventures and build/destroy his relationship that he has formed and torn apart. next chapter will be the wave missoin and the debut of Zabuza and Haku in this story as well as seeing the dynamics of the team. So Yugito has revealed to Naruto that she's a jinchuriki and has a crush on him (she's not the only one) and Naruto's potential is already starting to show. now back to the harem, if it wasn't clear before the women comprising the harem are.**

**Hanabi**

**Sakura**

**Hinata**

**Mabui**

**Shion**

**Yugito**

**Kurenai**

**Each one will have their own role in the story and each one will have a certain focus around them eventually so no one is left out. The harem can continue to grow and you can feel free to suggest more girls/women in the review section or PM me personally, all will be taken into account and a poll will be held to put the two most popular choices into the harem.**

Juubiwriter99 is down and out.


	10. Windmill

****Rebirth of the Two Sons****

****Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or any references I make.****

****Now sorry to all the guys I have kept waiting, been very busy and I apologise.  
So we are entering the Wave mission arc, apologies to the story sticking close to canon for the moment but it will change in the next chapter I promise, and when we hit Shippuden things will really be changed up. now unto the story. ****

**Windmill**

Not a sound could be heard, not the rustling of leaves from the wind or the chirping of birds. Everything within the forest had grown dead silent as if the branches and critters had decided against making a sound. Perhaps this was the deadly creature roaming through the woods, its ferocity, and might known to all and not easily forgotten. This creature, this beast of pure carnage and chaos had terrorised these woods from the very beginning of Konoha. It was an elusive creature, so much so that the shinobi of the village continue to chase after it to this day. It was the bane of genin and a sore reminder to the Jōnin, forcing them to remember the painful days of their youth and the scars they carry to this day.

Now the creature has returned, baring its fangs and unsheathing its claws, ready to attack within a moments notice. To the genin who continued to chase after it, they severely underestimated the overwhelming power of this beast, but in the ninja world, those who deceive are those who live the longest. They questioned why they had to pursue such a creature, why were they stuck with such chores that they questioned why no one else but them should undergo such a mission. The four were listening to the orders of the Jōnin teacher, who would give the word at any moment, right about now! Hearing the order the four fresh genin pounced from their hiding positions and were quick to swarm the devil cat. Once the feral beast had seen them, it gave a mighty hiss before disappearing into some nearby shrubs, hoping to confuse the genin in order to escape. However, their shinobi's tenacity was commendable and they swiftly chased after the cat taking whatever twists and turns they could in order to surround it.

However the small beast was too focused on the freshly grown ninja that it failed to register the soaring shadow through the air, it's entire body blocked out the sun and it's wings created strong gusts of wind that fluttered the leaves about. Before the cat could even protest the great claw came down from above to which the feline barely dodged as it ducked into a log, the great claw scratching the inside of the wood, hoping to slice the kitty apart. It made the mistake of once again coming out into the open as the serpentine monster followed after it. Just as the cat jumped over a pair of rocks, the jaws of the beast clamped down around it with only its tailed dangling from its jaws. The creature happily slurped the tail like a noodle, finding the small pet delicious and succulent.

'OH MY GOD! Tentōki spit him out!' yelled Naruto as he finally caught up to find his pet dragon, Tentōki happily swallowing the cat. Years ago the Senju had found the near extinct creature in the woods, what was once a small mystical beast no bigger than a hand had grown to be half the size of Kakashi in height and even longer in length. The white dragon merely looked dejected as it was scolded by his master and soon enough the rest of team 7 quickly approached finding the situation slightly funny. Tentōki merely shook his head as he disobeyed Naruto's demands as the blonde began fuming red at the disobedience of the creature. It was only from a single glare did the dragon decide to regurgitate the cat, who was now covered in saliva and smelled like a dumpster all the while the feline seemed to have experienced a living hell.

* * *

Now they were standing before the Hokage and his assisting ninja, taking perverse pleasure from the cat that was being smothered by its owner. Tentōki was sent back home because of his disobedience and the Hokage could only shake his head slightly when they reported the story to him. With that much said and done, the owner of the devil cat and wife of the Fire Daimyō left and ensured to give a hefty amount of money to Konoha for their service. Sasuke was the most irked out of all of them, for weeks now they had been doing these chores and errands that did nothing to further his skills. How could he improve his jutsu when he was shopping for groceries for some fat man. The only one who even rivalled his own annoyance was Naruto who possessed a similar string of thought.

'Now then there are more missions available for team 7, babysitting a clan head's three-year-old, buying groceries or farming potatoes.' however, he was stopped from speaking further by none other than Sasuke. Having grown tired of the constant errand running and the unspoken insults towards his own set of skills.

'I didn't become a shinobi just to watch some brat pick his own nose. At least challenge our strength and let us develop our abilities outside of doing chores. At least find us a mission worth our time.' spoke Sasuke earning a nod from Naruto, Yugito and Sakura, all of whom possessed the same mindset as the Uchiha. If they were to become respectable shinobi, then developing their skills on a mission would ensure that they would be ready for whatever task would come. Kakashi only prepared himself for the eventual scolding from the Hokage.

'How dare you! You're just a rookie! Everyone one of us starts out with simple missions so to strengthen your position within your team.' Yelled Iruka at his greatest student who merely narrowed his eyes and frowned at the older ninja.

'Yeah as if I'll become a great shinobi just from catching cats.' spoke Sasuke snidely as he huffed at Iruka's words.

'Sasuke, it seems you do not comprehend how our economy works and how the tasks you are given weigh heavily upon the future prosperity of our home. Listen well, many different kinds of requests flood through our village, everything from babysitting to assassination. These requests are carefully examined, recorded and analysed then ranked upon their difficulty. The ninja of our village are also assorted into similar ranks, starting with the highest, the Hokage, myself, then the Jōnin, Chūnin and genin such as yourselves. Missions are then assigned to appropriate ninja with the necessary skill and abilities and of course if the mission is successful we receive a fee and further funding which supports everything from trade to common basic necessities in the village. You all are untrained genin, starting upon the path of shinobi, which means that you have room to grow and develop your abilities. D-rank missions serve the purpose of strengthening your bond with your team-mates as well as furthering your cooperation which will be essential to any and all missions you shall be assigned to the future.'

'But we're not brats any more, we've done dozens of these missions now and we are ready for a challenge. Stop treating us like your grandchildren and start fostering us as your ninja! Doing these chores is just a waste of our potential!' yelled Naruto to which Kakashi sighed, believing that a further scolding would come out of this because of Sasuke and Naruto's impatience. The Hokage just smiled at this along with Iruka. Perhaps it was time to allow the birds to leave the nest and stretch their wings.

'Naruto and Sasuke want to prove to us that they aren't just bratty children any more that they are now former bratty children and they want a real mission. So be it.' spoke the Hokage surprising the genin and their teacher slightly at the old man's words. 'since your students are so determined, Kakashi, I shall reward them with a C-rank mission worthy of their "skills". You shall be protection on an escort mission. Lets introduce your client. Send in Tazuna.' ordered the Sandaime, with those words the door slid open revealing a drunken old man with carrying a bag with a rounded hat upon his head. He didn't say anything else aside from downing the bottle in his hand. You could literally smell the alcohol on him.

'What's this? A couple of punks pretending to be shinobi?' spoke the drunk as he leaned against the door face flushed as he stared at the group of five. 'you really expect me to believe that these kids are ninja?' continued the man earning glares from Naruto, Yugito and Sasuke. Already their first legitimate mission and they were already being insulted. Typical.

'I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder and I must return to my country. I'm constructing a bridge that will save my land and I expect you to get me there safely even if it means offering up your own lives.' spoke the architect seriously to which the five only stared blankly at the man. What he was saying wasn't too far off from their duties but he didn't have to say it so dramatically.

* * *

So now the group of six stood before the gates of Konoha, their home. For some, it will be the first time leaving these walls and exploring the outside world. For others, it's not their first but would otherwise like to forget those horrible events that occurred so long ago. Naruto himself had to unconsciously examine his surroundings. The last time he left the village was when he was being kidnapped by Kumo and forced into chains.

'Am I suppose to be safe on the road with a bunch of runts hanging over me.' spoke Tazuna drunkenly questioning his escort which Kakashi merely laughed off.

'Don't worry I'm a Jōnin and nothing should happen that will endanger you.' spoke Kakashi as the four genin only glared at the bridge-builder.

'Worst. Client. Ever.' stated Yugito as she crossed her arms as veins bulged against her forehead.

'You're the one that said it not me. And can he stop drinking he smells like an alley outside of a bar, a very cheap bar.' responded Sakura as she too felt that very same annoyance that ebbed at her team-mate.

'It's not wise to insult ninja, especially not one that will be Hokage!' yelled Naruto, having grown irritated by the man's endless insults.

'Hokage are powerful and wise, you're pathetic and foolish, the day you become Hokage I'll sprout wings and fly.' continued Tazuna, infuriating the blonde shinobi some more as he clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. He just might kill the old man on the road right now before they even reach this land he speaks of. 'as if a brat like you could even become Hokage, you could become a Kage ten times over and to me, you will always be a loser. No matter what you do no one will acknowledge you.' spoke the man as he pulled out his bottle of sake and continued to drown it as if it was water.

So the group went down the road, with each step they grew closer to the land that Tazuna hails from, watching while the sun went down and white puffy clouds littered the sky.

'Hey, Kakashi-sensei. The land of Waves, Tazuna comes from that place so don't they have ninja there?' questioned Yugito generally curious if there were ninja's in every country of the world, not just the great five to which the mightiest villages belonged to.

'No, no ninja resides in the Land of Waves, but in plenty of other countries, there are Hidden villages, such as our own, each with its own culture, customs and clans. To the people of this land, the existence of shinobi villages symbolise strength, military strength. It's through the villages that shinobi are able to maintain the balance of power while also keeping an advantage over others. Throughout history, ninja villages have risen and fallen perhaps destroyed by others or they were unable to preserve or manage their village because of a lack of economy or growth. But the villages don't rule the countries they reside in, they act independently from the main body of the land while also providing protection to their benefactors. A small country such as the land of waves cannot house a village nor could they create one of their own with ease. Thus the country doesn't receive much interference from other larger, more powerful countries and is left to their own devices. Among the hidden villages are the 'five great nations'. Leaf, Sand, Stone, Mist and Cloud these are the most powerful ninja villages and are the only villages whose leaders are bequeathed the title of 'Kage'. The five Kage, Hokage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage, Kazekage and Raikage govern these nations, they are recognised as the most powerful of all ninja and their power and influence decide the fate of millions of lives. The first to ever hold the title of Kage was Hashirama Senju, the Shodaime Hokage, one of the two founders of our village, the most powerful shinobi of all time and Naruto's great-grandfather. Our current Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi is said to be not only the strongest of his time but still the strongest Kage at this very moment.' spoke Kakashi sating Yugito's curiosity.

'That old man was knocked out cold by my oiroke no jutsu. He can't be that powerful.' thought Naruto recounting that humorous time.

'That senile old man is as powerful as he is. Doesn't seem that tough.' wondered Sakura, believing that such an old man could be a big deal?

'Were you two just doubting Hokage-sama?' questioned Kakashi as Naruto and Sakura shook their heads vigorously from side to side, Kakashi just eye-smiled at them knowing that it probably didn't matter anyway. 'but don't worry, there are no conflicts on a C-rank mission. So you can all just relax.' spoke the Jōnin as Tazuna shifted his eyes slightly to the left something which the blonde heir of th eSenju picked up on but went unnoticed by everyone else. The group continued on down the line, in silence as they let nature be their music. They even passed by a puddle that Naruto and Kakashi noticed out of the corner of their eyes. Though as soon as their backs were turned to the puddle, two ninja rose out of it as if they were ghosts and quickly took to the field as a chain broke loose from their gauntlets and surrounded Kakashi in a sharp hold. The genin didn't have time to react as they saw their teacher being shredded apart and left as a bloody stain on the ground.

Naruto could barely form his hands together as soon enough the chain was entangled around his body, ready for him to end up in a similar state just like his teacher. However, Naruto was able to form his hands together to create the tiger seal something which didn't bother the two nin that wound him up in sharpened chains. They should have taken his move a little more seriously if it wasn't for all the kunai and shuriken that came flying out from the trees and piercing their bodies. Yugito quickly took advantage of this and did a split kick between the two shinobi's faces before kicking their feet out from under them, causing them to trip. Sasuke followed close behind only did he see the chain loosen around Naruto did he whip out a kunai and shuriken and pin the chain against a nearby tree, halting the shinobi's movements. As they got up they found the young clan heir kicking them in the faces.

The enemy ninja detached themselves from the chain and were running for Yugito and Tazuna, baring their claws, ready to strike. Sakura defended the bridge-builder with Sasuke as her back up. And Yugito looked ready to confront the enemy ninja barrelling towards her. But it was all-for-nought as Kakashi made his presence known, defeating the two shinobi in a quick blur, both knocked out.

'Hey everyone.' said the silver-haired Jōnin who had replaced himself earlier with a log when the two ninja had attacked. 'sorry for not stepping in earlier but all of you did good, especially you Naruto. Creating shadow clones and having them create the Raikō Fūin (lightning flash seal) in every leaf on our way here was clever, softened them up nicely.' praised Kakashi as Sasuke merely stared at his former friend, not understanding how he did it. 'for those who are slightly confused, the **Raikō Fūin** unleashes a multitude of weapons at a specific foe, they are usually etched around the environment for ambushes, though I don't know how you did it specifically Naruto?'

'Tazuna was acting sketchy earlier so I created some shadow clones and used my Fūinjutsu knowledge to set a trap should we run into any trouble.' spoke Naruto as the clone made its presence known before dissipating into smoke as Kakashi looked down in the original a big grin on his face to which Kakashi replied with an eye smile.

'Good job, all of you, you acted as shinobi should. Guess there's some hope for you after all.' stated Kakashi causing Naruto, Yugito and Sakura's faces to fall into a slightly insulted/dumbfounded expression while Sasuke remained impassive. The Jōnin, however, knew that this was no longer an ordinary mission, of course, he had suspicions but he needed confirmation, and the appearance of the two assassins was all the evidence he needs. Craning his head, the masked shinobi whispered a few choice words to Tazuna, about the nature of the mission.

* * *

Later the two chūnin had been tied firmly around the tree, Yugito and Sasuke both had kunai in their hands, ready to use them should the two enemies become a little too rowdy for their liking.

'They are missing-nin from Kirigakure. They are the demon brothers, Gōzu and Meizu, they specialise in relentless surprise attack, they fight like berserkers, despite injury and would sacrifice everything so their prey will fall.' one of the brothers questioned Kakashi and the blonde haired genin about their ambush? Rather than let them suffer a clueless fate for the rest of their live, Kakashi decided to answer. 'Your disguise, a puddle of water in the middle of the road on a cloudless day, when it hasn't rained for weeks.'

'Yeah, your dumb and dumber! Only idiots would fall for that!' shouted Naruto pointing a finger at the two Chūnin who glared angrily (if some what comically) at the cocky young ninja, while the three other members of team seven blushed in embarrassment.

'If you knew that, why the hell would you leave it to the runts to do the fighting.' queired Tazuna, confused over the fact that a powerful shinobi such as Kakashi woudl let his students fight the two assassins.

'Deception is a shinobi's greatest weapon and there are six of us. I could have taken them out from the beginning but then I would have learned nothing. I had to know who their target was.' said Kakashi narrowing his sole visible eye at the bridge-builder. To be honest, he thought the original targets were Yugito and Naruto, for obvious reasons, and if they weren't the shinobi's ire then he could only have guessed that it was Sasuke, but that wasn't the case either. 'I wanted to know if they were after us or you. Whether this was just a case of ninja attacking ninja, or they were after you, the master bridge-builder. When you filed your request for shinobi escort, you asked for standard protection, a full team of Chūnin, for protection from bandits, robbers and highwaymen. You made no mention that enemy ninja were hunting you down. If we knew this, it would have been a B-rank mission. One that couldn't be accomplished by a team of untrained Genin. If I knew we would be fielding attacks from enemy ninja I would have cancelled the mission all-together and re-staffed the escort and of course charged for the cost of a B-rank mission. I can only assume that you have your reasons, but if there is one thing I hate, it's being lied to. We are now beyond the scope of this mission and as the captain of this team, I have the full authority to drag you and my team back to Konoha.'

'We're just genin, no matter how strong we are. The weak die and the strong thrive, it's a brutish philosophy but a law of nature also.' stated Yugito, crossing her arms as Sasuke gave a curt nod, agreeing with his team-mate. However, Naruto only grit his teeth in frustration.

'No way, I'm not going back to the village knowing that I haven't accomplished anything! I worked hard to get to where I am and I'm not letting all the time and effort I've put into go to waste! I will never give up and let someone else rescue me! I won't run when my friends need me most and I won't lose to anyone! I make this pledge, now if any of you want to run back to Konoha with tails between your legs, go and help yourselves! I will see this mission to its end or my end.'

'...Well, when someone says something cool like that. I guess we have no choice but to continue for the moment.' spoke Kakashi bringing a large grin to Naruto's face, a smirk to Sasuke's and a grins to Yugito and Sakura. With all that said and done, the six restarted their trek tot he Land of Waves, intent on finishing the bridge.

* * *

Elsewhere in a forest of mist and twilight was a hidden lodge nestled into the branches of trees.

'You failed. You failed me!' stated a voice, one that belonged to a small of small stature and fizzled hair flanked by two wannabe samurais both impassive while their master was all but blowing fumes from his ears in pure anger. 'when I give someone money to get something done I expect results on my table, not failure! I didn't hire amateurs, I hired certain kill assassins.'

'Shut up! And quit your whining.' whispered the gruff voice of a man, seated on the other side of the room, his torso with the exception of his arms cloaked in the falling shadow of the sun. A single second went by and the small man found an enormous cleaver-like sword in his face, the sight of which caused him to sweat on the spot and clatter his teeth together in fear. 'this time, I'll go personally. And the sight of his own blood will be the last thing he ever sees.

'You sure about that.' spoke the midget with a hint of nervousness in his voice despite the tough facade he was showing. 'apparently, he has some top-level ninja as protection. And since your first attempt failed they'll be expecting you this time.'

'Who the hell do you think you're talking to, I am the Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden mist), Zabuza Momochi.'

* * *

The mist was dense and heavy, echoing the emotions running through the group that traversed the fog, hiding them within its blankets. It made the group all but invisible but also blind if they didn't know where they were going. They were dead silent, not making a single sound as the boat they were seated in rowed into the Land of Waves.

Soon enough the sight of a bridge came into view, grand and large, stretching from the land to the continent. They continued on in silence. While all of them would have preferred to arrive in the country via the bridge, because of the danger they had to be smuggled in by a friend of Tazuna's, they didn't know who to trust in such a land gripped by fear and dread. Which is why it was for the best that their presence go unnoticed.

'Tazuna...' whispered Kakashi grabbing his client's attention as they rode against the soft waves. 'before we make land and step one foot onto your country's ground. I must ask this of you. The men who are after you, I doubt a humble bridge-builder like yourself could have earned the ire of an angered Kage. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid that we will have to end this mission once we drop you ashore, much to Naruto's frustration.'

'I now find that I have little choice but to tell you. No, I want each of you to know the truth. Like you said Kakashi, this is far beyond the scope of a regular genin team and the original mission. The one who seeks my death is known throughout the world and criminal underworld, a short man who casts a long shadow. His name is Gatō. He is a powerful man with troves of wealth that is true, but behind that smirk and his posters is his true business, contraband, drugs, weapons anything that can be classed as illegal Gatō has his grubby hands in and money in his pockets. It was a year ago that Gatō set his eyes upon the Land of Waves, he came to our island and used his wealth and influence to slowly choke our economy and trade. Anyone who stood in his way were butchered in their own homes. In an island nation, a man who controls the ships and trade controls the country. But there is one thing that he fears, one that will disrupt his plans, the bridge. When it is complete, new trade opportunities will flourish, we would no longer rely on shipping to receive food, medicine and other such qualities of life. I am the architect of the bridge, I die then all plans and hopes for this country will die with me.'

'So basically, the guys in the forest were thugs hired by Gatō, to forever halt the progress of the bridge.' spoke Yugito to which Tazuna gave a nod while Kakashi was still unsure of some ulterior motives of their client.

'If you knew he was dangerous and you were aware that he would send ninja to silence you. Why would you hide that from us?' questioned Kakashi as Tazuna's face fell.

'My land is not a rich or prosperous one, before Gatō we were entirely comfortable with our obscurity. Even our nobles and leaders had very little money, we couldn't afford a mission higher than a C-rank. The people who are building the bridge are commoners, they do it out of hope. If you end the mission now, there will be no bridge, and my country will whither and die. That's is the truth and fact. But none of you should feel bad about that. Of course, my sweet little grandson will be upset, he will cry himself to sleep every night and my daughter would condemn the ninja of Konohagakure, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow. Ah well, it's not your fault. Just forget it and leave me behind.' spoke Tazuna with a happy tune in his voice while he made the ninja comically guilt-ridden with the very thought of the prospect. Guess they had no choice but to continue guarding the man, to which the builder only smiled outwardly and inwardly at his triumph over the ninja.

* * *

The group then entered through the pier and they were beyond fortunate that no one had noticed them. Even a whisper could break empires if it was allowed to fester. They were soon beholden to the sight of mangrove forests and shabby huts and houses. As soon as they stepped onto the pier Tazuna lead them forward towards his home, where they would rest for the night and guard the architect better. However, Kakashi was weary of his surroundings, Gatō's initial attack failed, so this time, he wouldn't be sending run of the mill chūnin but a highly experienced and strong Jōnin, Kakashi could only sigh at the prospect.

As they journeyed through the forests, all was well and quiet, birds were tweeting and nesting and the wind rustled the leaves. Comically, however, Naruto and Sasuke were power-walking their way there, always trying to keep one foot in front of the others. They glared at each other as each quickened their pace and were all but rubbing shoulders against the other. They flinched, stopped, unsheathed their kunai's and chucked them at a nearby tree when they heard the sound of rustling. This shocked just about everyone before Kakashi hit them both over their heads for their recklessness before they got scolded by both Sakura and Yugito while Tazuna yelled at the both of them. Kakashi meanwhile investigated the sound of the noise while both boys were getting scolded, he found a pure white rabbit, scared half-to-death from nearly being killed by two closely grouped kunai knives.

Kakashi knew something was off, however, and knew that both boys instincts had acted up at the precise moment of danger. That rabbit had pure white fur, except this particular species, only had such fur during the winter months, he deduced that this kind of rabbit was raised in captivity, away from the light where its fur couldn't change. Which meant that it only had one purpose.

With only seconds to react Kakashi called out to his group to hit the ground and avoid the giant cleaver that was soaring through the trees, cutting apart branches and the very air itself before it lodged itself into a nearby tree. A pair of legs planted themselves firmly on the giant weapon as this new figure radiated powerful chakra that instilled fear in the lesser shinobi. Kakashi instantly recognised the figure, one who renowned throughout the world for an attempted assassination of a kage. Zabuza Momochi, there was little doubt about it.

'Well, Zabuza Momochi, you look well.' greeted Kakashi as the genin all held looks of nervousness as their frames shook in response to the swordsman's chakra. Naruto and Yugito launched themselves forward, ready to do battle with the Jōnin only to be stopped in their stride by their sensei, who simply stated that they were in the way. 'he's not like the previous shinobi we encountered before, no this one is in a whole other league. If he's our opponent, I'm going to need you all to step back.' said Kakashi as he brought a hand up to his hitai-ate.

'Ah, Kakashi of the Sharingan. Did I get that right? I'm a little flattered.' spoke Zabuza as Sasuke recoiled in surprise. Sharingan? His clan's Kekki Genkai, the eye that made them famous throughout the world as one of the strongest of eyes, his eye? 'it's too bad, that I will have to end this quickly, but I need you to hand over the old man.'

'Everyone fall into a manji formation protect the bridge-builder and no matter what, stay out of this fight. I taught you teamwork, put it to use and trust in your sensei.' as he lifted his headband and opened his left eye revealing the blood red eyes that seemed to stab your very soul with knives. The powerful eye of the Uchiha clan, able to see and comprehend almost anything it sees to perfect accuracy. Zabuza was honoured to be graced with the now rare Dōjutsu. Soon enough the entire clearing was filled with heavy mist as the genin team responded by flanking the old man on every side, back, front, left and right, each with a kunai at the ready.

In response, Zabuza pulled his cleaver from the tree and landed in the very middle of a lake, forming handseals to create an ever thicker mist for him to operate in. the Rogue ninja knew how to fight the Sharingan, especially if you are able to block the user's vision, nullifying most of its effects. Then everything went silent, the swordsman had disappeared and only a single leaf fell from a tree.

'Eight points.' whispered the voice of Zabuza through the mist, his voice like a sword cutting through wood. 'Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart... now which will be my kill point?' questioned the assassin as ice ran up the spines of the genin, all of them overcome with fear. Kakashi formed a seal and with a gust of wind expelled the mist giving everyone a clear view of their surroundings. Sasuke could feel the very thirst for blood and the intent to kill in the very air, it felt as if any move, a flicker of the eye, a single breath could mean instant death. It's almost as if he was going insane from the sheer power of such a presence. He could almost feel the clash of metal and bone, it was if his blood was freezing in his veins, losing his own life in the fog. He couldn't bear it, the will to take his own life was far more pleasant than what he was experiencing.

'Sasuke! Remain calm, I will protect each and every one of you with my life. I will never allow my friends to die.' replied Kakashi offering up an eye smile as Zabuza suddenly appeared in the middle of the formation, questioning his opponent's will. Before a leaf could even fall to the ground, with such astonishing speed Kakashi traversed the gap between the group and himself and stabbed the swordsman in the gut with a kunai. However, blood didn't leak from the wound, only water as it dripped from the body, splashing onto the ground. A water clone. The real Zabuza appeared from the mist, right behind the Jōnin sensei and sliced him in half with a single blow from his cleaver. But no blood was thrown about, only a large amount of water as Kakashi's body dissipated into water.

Zabuza widened his eyes in surprise at what had transpired, Kakashi had successfully copied his own jutsu and used it against him with little effort. He then found the sharp, cold metal of a kunai against his neck.

'So you are full surprises after all Kakashi. You already copied my water clone when you were making your little speech. Very skilfully executed, you made your clone say those words to draw my attention. While you hid in the mist waiting for me to make my move. Nice try.' spoke Zabuza as a second clone appeared behind the real Kakashi, taking the Jōnin by surprise. 'but I'm not that easy to fool.' the reappearance of this new Zabuza took the genin by surprise as he swung his cleaver which Kakashi narrowly dodged, having some threads of his hair being shaved off. However, Zabuza followed up this attack by kicking Kakashi away and unto the lake with the swordsman following closely behind, dodging the caltrops that the Sharingan wielder had placed on the ground only to then jump into the lake.

The Konoha Jōnin resurfaced quickly but noticed the water he was surrounded by was more dense and heavy than that of regular water. He couldn't react in time as his opponent appeared behind him and captured him in a prison of stronger than steel water.

'This prison made be made of water but it will take a long time before you're able to break free. Enjoy the show Kakashi, it will be the last thing you ever see.' spoke Zabuza as he made another clone from the water, all the while staring at the dismayed genin which only amused Zabuza. 'you think wearing a hitai-ate makes you shinobi, you don't know the first thing about the lives we live. When you have hovered between life and death so many times that you've lost count, that it doesn't phase you. Then you may be called ninja when you become so deadly that your profile will be entered into the bingo book, only then will you earn the title of shinobi. But to call pups like you ninja, is nothing but a joke.' Naruto and Sasuke were caught off guard as two feet planted themselves into their faces, knocking off Naruto's headband and sending the both of them skidding across the ground. 'you're just babes, too weak to eve walk.' spoke the clone who was standing on Naruto's head-band.

'Quickly, take Tazuna and run! You can't win this fight! He's using all his strength to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his clone. But the clone can't travel far from his real body! If you run he can't follow, now go!' yelled Kakashi inside the prison, his voice slightly muffled by the sound of the waves. Sasuke considered such a thing not only an insult but also an impossibility. No matter how fast they would run or how far, the clown will run them down or the real body would just track them down. They couldn't try a manji defence formation because of its one notable weakness. Each and every one of them realised that the only way they would walk away from this alive is if they freed their teacher from his prison.

Sasuke and Yugito rushed forward while Sakura stayed behind to guard Tazuna as Naruto was still too dazed from the kick to even stand. The two genin unleashed a volley of shuriken which flew right at the clone who only drew his sword and knocked away all the surging weapons. Sasuke jumped into the air, with a kunai ready to stab Zabuza in the skull and Yugito got behind the swordsman's back with rows of shuriken in between her fingers. This was all for nought as the clone kicked Yugito away and grabbed Sasuke by the throat before throwing him away.

Naruto, seeing his friends in danger and remembering his own vow to himself, rushed at Zabuza only to get kicked away. Said blonde was in lying on the ground and in response Sakura only picked him up from the ground widening her eyes upon seeing his hitai-ate in his hand (which was previously under Zabuza's foot) and a devilish smirk gracing his features.

'Sakura, I need you to stay here and guard Tazuna, Yugi-chan, Sasuke. I have a plan, it will work trust me, but the timing and precision must be exact.

'Huh, do you actually think that anything your four can do will actually work on someone like me. You have guts, I won't deny that, but talk can only get you so far in this world.' replied the enemy as Kakashi grew more and more distraught with every word. 'you brats haven't learned anything in these past few minutes have you? Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja, when I was your age, this hand of mine had crushed many opponents. You see the village I hail from had a special graduation ceremony, to graduate you had to take the life of one of your classmates in order to prove your strength and loyalty. Just imagine, young ninja like you eating and training together, then comes the final exam only to change the rules, kill or be killed, you couldn't stop while your opponent still breathed, he was your friend, you shared your dreams together.' spoke Zabuza causing Naruto and Sasuke to glance at the other. 'now it's him or you. One day a young boy approached the graduating class and slaughtered every one of the students. And it felt so good.'

Sasuke and was then elbowed in the stomach so hard he almost spat up whatever food was in his stomach, only to be elbowed once again while he was still lying on the ground. Only this time, he spat up blood. He then felt the entire weight of the man press against his chest, making it hard to see let alone breath as he recoiled in pain.

'**Kage Bunshin no jutsu!**' yelled Naruto as he made over fifty clones, each baring kunai and shuriken, the Zabuza clone, however, was impressed that genin could use the **Kage Bunshin no jutsu** and to create so many. His amusement was cut short as the clones of the Senju heir dog-piled unto the swordsman's clone, hoping to stab and rescue Kakashi quickly. But with a single slice of his sword, the former Kiri nin threw all the clones off him as they tumbled to the ground, the real one who was sliding across the ground ducked his hand into his backpack pulling out two Fūma shuriken and throwing them to Yugito and Sasuke. The swordsman only raised a single eyebrow, unimpressed that two of the runts had gotten weapons, it still meant nothing however if they couldn't use them. Both Yugito and Sasuke threw their respective shuriken at the original Zabuza, the one that was incapacitating Kakashi. Effortlessly Zabuza caught one shuriken and jumped over the other never releasing his hand from the water prison.

All three smirked however, there was no need to use the Shadow shuriken jutsu, since both shuriken then exploded into a puff of smoke revealing two Naruto's both with their kunai drawn. The one that Zabuza had caught quickly had his left arm vertically cut by one of the clones while another threw multiple kunai and shuriken at the swordsman. With nowhere to dodge and having been wounded by one of the clones, Zabuza released his grip on the water prison so to dodge the rain of metal that was flying at him. He was able to escape with only a small scratch below his eye but at the cost of his water clone that was pierced by the metal. Momochi then threw the Naruto that had wounded his arm right at the one that appeared behind him and both blew up in a puff of smoke.

The Kirigakure grown ninja then grunted in pain at a sharp sensation penetrating his side. He found a kunai with Kakashi's hand stabbing him in the side and suffering a glare so sharp that it would have killed him if such a thing was possible.

'Naruto, that was an excellent plan. Hard to believe that you could think up something like this on the fly but, credit where credit is due after all.' complimented Kakashi to the real Naruto who was on the bank, grinning like a mad-man. The plan was never to defeat the clone but separate the real one from the prison, two of his clones turned into Fūma shuriken while both Sasuke and Yugito would throw them in sync, creating just the smallest window of opportunity and he was able to hurt the swordsman in the process by cutting up his left arm. Sakura herself was amazed at the level of teamwork that was displayed, they didn't utter a single word and both knew what to do exactly to the point, it was less amazing for Naruto and Yugito since they lived and trained together at the Senju compound, but Naruto and Sasuke, they acted like they hated each other but they were a perfect match between strength and skill, planning and improvisation. It was amazing to her.

'Huh, the little blonde one has peaked my interest. Distracting me for a moment and actually harming me, I haven't had my blood spilt like that in years.' commented Zabuza impressed that a genin was able to scratch him, but also slightly insulted.

'Don't flatter yourself, you purposely let go in order to save your own skin, Naruto is trained in medical ninjutsu so he knew exactly where to fire the perfect kunai.' rebuked Kakashi angering Zabuza with his words. 'and now, things won't be so easy from here on out.' the rest of team 7 then gathered around Tazuna, their part was done, now they had to rely on their teacher to finish the job. The copy-cat ninja then let go of the kunai in Zabuza's side to which the swordsman yanked it out, ignoring the pain as the two put distance between each other.

When they landed they each blazed through many handseals for a particularly powerful jutsu with Kakashi copying Zabuza's every move with his Sharingan. 'S**uiton: Suiryūdan no jutsu (water release: water dragon bullet)!**' they said at the exact same time as two huge dragons made of water burst from the lake and did battle with the other while Kakashi and Zabuza engaged in close quarter's combat. The force of the impact, as well as the amount of water being chucked around, was enough for the rest of the team to brace themselves and hold on as they were almost swept off their feet from the knee-height water.

As the Jōnin traded swings and blows Zabuza was under the impression that something wasn't exactly right. It's true the Sharingan copied ninjutsu and taijutsu but both activated their jutsu at the same time. Testing out his theory, Zabuza and Kakashi jumped back, running in circles with the exact same motion. He would even move his arms and legs around in a strange fashion which Kakashi mirrored exactly and to the point. It's as if he knew exactly what he was going to do next. Just staring into the blood-red eye filled the swordsman with rage which only further aggravated him as he saw Kakashi copy him like some circus monkey. Both then flew threw handseals once again, with Kakashi perfectly copying them with little effort. Only this time, Zabuza was momentarily distracted by strange images of himself standing next to Kakashi and this distraction allowed the copy ninja to finish the jutsu and unleashed a torrent of water so powerful that it swept the Kiri nin off his feet and dislodged several trees from their roots.

The defeated criminal was pinned against a tree as the waves died and he regained his breath, his body soaked and heavy and his muscles all but screamed at him. A hail of kunai then pierced his arms and legs as blood dripped from his wounds. The copying monkey ninja was about to finish off his enemy if it wasn't for two senbon stabbing him in the neck and killing him, blood flying from the points of impact. That's when the sensei spun his head around to see a masked man standing on a nearby branch, wearing the mask of the hunter-nin of Kirigakure who was also observing the lifeless body of Zabuza fall to the ground in a heap.

'So you can see into the future, this was his last battle. And not the one he will be remembered for.' spoke the new arrival with a distinctly feminine voice. Kakashi out of his curiousity and thorough nature checked the pulse of the swordsman only to find none, not a single beat. He was dead, the Sharingan wielder then cast his eyes onto the hunter who bowed in gratitude at the Jōnin. 'thank you, I've been tracking Zabuza for many years. Waiting for the right moment to strike. Now I can return to my village in victory.' However, Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the boy, from his size and voice, he must have been in his early teens if only a few years older than his own students, but to be a member of Kiri's hunter-nin spoke volumes of his skill. The Jōnin had to be weary from now on, disappearing in a whirl of wind, the hunter hefted the body of Zabuza, saying how the valuable information of Kiri must be kept a secret before disappearing once again into the wind.

Tazuna said how they could rest at his home which wasn't far now, however, the entire team recoiled in shock as Kakashi suddenly feinted, falling face-first into the ground.

* * *

Bruised, battered and drained, Kakashi could barely lift himself up into a seating position as he laid on the ground with nothing but a fūton and a blanket, the eager looks of his four students surrounding every corner of his vision. He had to eye smile upon seeing that they were mostly unharmed and okay, although he would prefer that their faces wouldn't be the first thing he would see upon waking.

'Glad to see you're ok sensei.' stated Naruto earning another eye-smile from his teacher.

'Well, I will be out of commission for at least a week, I'm not an Uchiha, therefore I can't use the Sharingan properly, it's incredibly draining. But at the very least Zabuza is dead and it will be some time until any more assassins make their move. So we're safe, for the moment. And I'm pretty sure you four can handle anything that comes around, provided you don't wake up a dragging or there are no flying whales in the sky.'

'You can joke all you like. But what about the Hunter-nin, shouldn't you be worried they might believe that Zabuza told us some secret of Kiri. You know, hypothetically?' queried Yugito while Kakashi sighed in his lying position.

'I don't know, Hunter-nin track down rogue shinobi, end them and dispose of the corpse. A shinobi's corpse even while dead, is full of valuable secrets, secrets which can prove to be a pivotal weakness to our village. For instance, if I were to die at the hands of an enemy. He would try to analyse my Sharingan and try to uncover the valuable intel that very few know of. Certain secrets, that if known by others, can be used against us our village.' spoke Kakashi as he stared at Yugito, who just from that stare knew exactly what he was talking about. The Nibi. 'it is the sacred duty of our shinobi trackers to prevent this. To keep our secrets safe, at all costs.' continued the Jōnin as he replayed his memories over and over again, a feeling of uncertainty grew inside him like a cancer. Hunter-nin were meant to dispose of the body immediately after death, so to prevent any enemies from discovering it or gaining access to its secrets. Not only that, the weapons they used, senbon, hardly a fatal weapon unless used in an experts hands, but, if they were in an experts hands they could hit the pressure points of the body, possibly putting them into a death-like state. '...Here's the truth. Zabuza is still alive.'

With those words, Tazuna, Sakura and Naruto all silently screaming as their eyes went wide and white and their jaws hit the flaw in utter shock.

'I know his heart stopped, but it was just a temporary state, a simulation of death. Senbon can pierce skin deeply but hardly fatally, especially in the neck. Hunter-nin are taught every part of human anatomy, which points in the body are vital, which can cause the most pain, and what types of weapons they use. Even putting someone into a death-like state is child's play for them. That hunter dragged Zabuza's body away when he should have destroyed it on the spot. From these two factors we can conclude that the tracker wasn't trying to kill Zabuza but immobilise him so he could recover from the wounds he suffered. When encountering suspicion a shinobi prepares quickly. Naruto exemplified this when we encountered the demon brothers, he didn't outright attack but prepared traps in case of such an attack when we both saw the puddle. Hesitation leads to disaster and death. Every shinobi knows of this.' spoke Kakashi while Sakura decided to make her thoughts known throughout.

'You said that we must prepare, but how? You're in no condition to fight and we are just genin.'

'Well, that's why I'm your teacher, it's time to learn some ninjutsu and how to control your power.' spoke Kakashi eye smiling causing Yugito, Sasuke and Naruto to smirk.

'Wait, wait wait! There's no way some last minute training can prepare us for Zabuza! I mean you could barely defeat him even with you Sharingan.' rebuked Sakura, terrified of facing that demon again.

'Sakura. Why was I able to defeat Zabuza in the first place. Because you all helped me. In such little time, you all have grown to not only trust each other but be able to work as a single cohesive unit. Yugito, you no longer hesitate and rely solely on strategy, you are now able to think in the heat of the moment. Sasuke, you have learned to rely on others rather than your own power. Sakura, you no longer think of yourself and instead are the support the others can depend on. And Naruto, you have grown the most. You think and act when it's appropriate, you know how to counter enemies and analyse the situation in a heartbeat and you take charge of the team when things seem hopeless, even the most experience of Chūnin and Jōnin couldn't come up with such a plan like yours. Out of the four of you, you are the leader this team needs and the one who carries it with your perseverance and confidence. Those are traits all of you should be proud of, you have learned more from each other together than an entire lifetime of being a shinobi. But, I will be honest, it's not enough.'

'Of course, it's not enough, and it never will be enough!' squeaked a new voice to which everyone turned their heads on the spot to see a boy glaring at all of them with the exception of his family.

'Inari, you apologise to these ninja right now! They risked their lives to bring your grandfather safely home to us.' spoke Tsunami harshly to her son for his rude attitude.

'But kaa-chan, don't you see that these people will die, they can't stand up to Gatō, he'll kill them all.'

'I'm stronger than I look you little brat! Show some respect!' yelled Naruto baring his fists with notable veins bulging on his hand. 'listen, you know who I am! I'm gonna be the ninja to become the Hokage, this gatō-pig is no match for any ninja! Especially me!'

'There's no such thing as a hero! You're just full of stupid ideas!' admonished Inari as several of the other ninja grew annoyed with this child's petulance. Especially Yugito who fully supported Naruto's dream and of course grew insulted when someone would insult him over it.

'That's it I'm gonna kill you!' Yelled Naruto as he was restrained by Sakura as he tried to get his hands on the kid, possibly strange him comically or something along those lines.

'If you don't wanna die, go back where you came from.' spat the kid as he saw himself out of the room while Sasuke and the others glared at his retreating form.

'Please forgive him. Things have been hard on him these past few months.' spoke Tazuna as Naruto simply fumed on his spot. A few hours past and Naruto's boiling point had reached its limit. So he quietly went to his assigned room, passing Inari's as he heard sobbing emanating from behind the door. He opened the door just a bit so he could glance inside, only to see the boy crying on a photo of an older man. The Senju heir didn't say anything else other than make his way back downstairs, his intention to talk to the kid having dissipated.

* * *

Morning came and with the promise of a new day the team of four stood in the middle of a forest, well-rested prepared and with Kakashi eyeing them intently, searching for weakness among the four. To his delight, he found none and decided to begin the day's training and what it promised.

'Alright, training starts now. First, we will deduce your chakra natures. With this, we can discover what affinity you have for a certain element and what jutsu you can learn from it. Then we will move on to chakra control exercises so you can better control your jutsu.' spoke Kakashi as he pulled out four slips of paper from one of his knapsacks and presented it to the four genin. Only Naruto didn't take one as he knew his affinity already, Wind. But the others were unaware of it and decided to discover what theirs were. 'now this paper is made from a special tree that is grown with chakra, just channel you chakra into it and it will tell you what element you have a certain affinity for. Fire, the paper will burn and turn into ash, water it will become soggy and wet, lightning it will crumple. For earth it will crumble into dust and wind it will tear in two. Go ahead try it.' spoke the sensei as the three genin poured their chakra into the paper. Sasuke's paper crumpled in his hand showing that despite being an Uchiha he had a lightning affinity. Yugito's burnt in her hand showing that her nature was fire, common in the Land of Fire but moderate in Kumo her home village and Sakura's became wet and soggy. 'Alright, Sasuke, you are lightning, it's a perfect all-rounder offensive nature that can electrocute and shatter opponents. Yugito, your nature is fire, fire is well known for its mid-to-long range fighting style but has very limited defence capabilities. Sakura, your nature is water, water is versatile perfect for offence and defence, a support nature, you can defend you allies while crushing your enemies. And Naruto, as you already know, yours is wind, close-to-mid range, wind is the ultimate battle nature, you can shred and tear opponents while giving others some protection. Now I will give you all a jutsu that you can practice on.' spoke Kakashi as he pulled four scrolls from his pouch and handed each one to the genin who examined it in their hands. 'Now I don't need to explain the concept and use of chakra, but now we will learn how to control it and use it to better our techniques. Each jutsu requires different types of chakra in different proportions. You must select and combine them in exactly the right way. Up till now most of you have just guessed at the proportions, hoping they would come out right. Even if you can produce tremendous amounts of chakra, unless you balance it correctly it will either explode in your face or outright fail. You waste so much energy and thus you become drained and weak, allowing enemies to kill you. You all must train hard to master it until it becomes second nature to you. Watch and learn.'

Kakashi wasted little time in approaching a tree and channelling chakra to the soles of his feet. And what amazed the genin was how he could walk up the tree as if he was walking down a road. He was then standing upside down from a branch staring down at the genin and their stunned expressions.

'Well, you get the idea anyway. Focus your chakra towards the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree. When you have mastery over your chakra this is the kind of things you are able to to do and more. This is the entire point of this training, you will need to adjust your chakra output and levels so to stick to the tree, not enough chakra and you will fall off, too much and you will be blasted off. To use no more than what is necessary and but to also maximise its effectiveness in where and how it is applied. The most subtle control is the most critical aspect of any jutsu. It's also the most difficult skill even for Jōnin. The type of tree climbing we are doing requires the most delicate application of chakra imaginable. Especially since the bottom of the foot is an area where it is the most difficult to manage one's energy. In simple words, if you master this type of exercise no jutsu should be beyond your control. The secondary objective is to build enough stamina necessary to complete your task, this will not only increase your control over your chakra but deepen its reserves also. In battle, circumstances and situations are always changing, and a true shinobi must be able to manipulate their own chakra on the fly so to adjust to what is going on around them. Now enough talk, time for action.' said Kakashi as he pulled out four kunai's and threw them at the feet of each of his students. 'use those kunai to mark your progress, slash the trunk when you reach a new point, it's a reminder of what you are capable of. I don't expect any of you to make it to the top of the tree immediately. But a running start will give you enough momentum for a first-effort though.

As a leaf fell to the ground, the young ninja rushed towards their respective trees, despite appearance's Naruto has been taught basic chakra control and was able to get half-way up the tree. However, he didn't apply enough chakra and lost his grip and marked the spot. Unfortunately, he was also the lowest of the four but that was not a deterrence in anyway. It was a drive. Sasuke poured too much chakra in his steps and was repelled off the trunk of the tree. Yugito was able to get up fairly high, not exactly reaching the highest point but was higher than both Naruto and Sasuke, Kakashi was slightly impressed by this given Jinchūriki's high amounts of chakra. Sakura was effortlessly able to climb the tree without any problems, impressing her sensei the most. Who then ordered her to help her teammates and try to understand what they were doing wrong and how they could correct it. Although Kakashi knew that both Naruto and Sasuke had massive reserves for genin, especially Naruto since he descended from a clan known to have bijū level chakra reserves and that's not counting his own Bijū.

* * *

Hours passed and there was already progress being made, Yugito was able to climb to the top of the tree although with some effort, so she practised more until it became second nature. However Naruto and Sasuke were beginning to make strides, the blonde was quickly catching up to his rival and were two-thirds up the tree. Whenever they marked a new point on the tree the two of them would glance at the other, either offering a glare or a dismissive glance but both had determination in their eyes and would go back to what they were doing. Sometimes a rivalry just pushed people onward.

It wasn't until nightfall did Yugito climb the tree with no trouble, Kakashi ordered her to instead work on her new jutsu along with Sakura while Naruto and Sasuke continue to practice.

Soon enough dinner was ready and to say the least, either Naruto and Sasuke were either eating like wolves, or like pigs. Whichever came first, it didn't matter so long as they could get energy out of it, even fighting indigestion so to keep their food down, even ordering seconds for two reasons, how good it was and how much energy they could gain out of it. And since this rivalry of theirs only continued to ignite, lightning was all but sparking between their eyes as they consumed copious amounts of rice and drink.

Sakura and Yugito could only watch in amusement, in fact, the very sight of it seemed to disgust them just a little. The Nibi Jinchūriki noticed a picture hanging on the wall, although it was torn, the man's face was missing and the blonde-haired girl decided to make her thoughts known.

'What's with the picture, why is it torn?' queried Yugito as the family went silent, either staring down into their food or cups before Tazuna decided to answer.

'Once, our entire country called him a hero.' whispered Tazuna to himself and upon hearing his words, an angered Inari left the table to which an upset Tsunami chased after him in order to calm him down. 'yes, Kaiza was Inari's whole world at one point, he's the reason Inari acts up and has given up hope. He wasn't his birth father he came after Inari's father passed away, but the two were as loving and close as any father and son.' spoke Tazuna causing Naruto's face to fall into a sullen frown, images of his own father flooding into his mind. 'you would always find Inari smiling back then, but everything changed after Kaiza was murdered. Our people and especially Inari were robbed of the meaning of courage because of what happened that day. It was about three years ago that the two first met, Inari was drowning in the sea and Kaiza rescued him, not out of monetary gain or to look flashy, but out of shear compassion. He was a fisherman who came here from abroad to find his fortune. From that day onward Inari's affection and admiration for Kaiza grew and grew until he was officially part of the family when he married my daughter. It was during a great flood that we regarded him as a hero, without a care for his own life, he shut the flood gates with his own two arms and everyone regarded him as the champion who saved our country... until Gatō came. In front of the entire people of this country, Kaiza was publicly beaten and executed, a message to put us in our place and the sting from that message is still felt throughout the land, even today. Ever since Inari doesn't believe in courage or the will to fight for what you believe in.'

Naruto only sat there, somehow, that story wasn't too different to his own. He didn't know what the love of a father was like, he wasn't around to see him grow and mature. He gave his life for the village, for the people he cared for, for him and his mother. But to act in such a way, it was as if he was denouncing all the good that the Hokage had done. Minato Namikaze sacrificed everything to protect what was precious to him and even though people had forgotten the true depth of his actions, they could never repay him for giving them the lives they live now and their children's lives. Thus, it was inconceivable, insulting in fact for Inari to act in such a way, giving up on everything his father fought for. The Senju heir didn't want to dwell on it any longer as he pushed himself away from the table and was ready to storm out of the house to continue his training.

'He's wrong. I'm going to show him that there are heroes in all of us!' yelled Naruto as he slammed the door behind him and ran towards the trees. He would remain there for the entire night, working on his jutsu and chakra control.

* * *

Soon enough the sun began to rise, illuminating the forest and all the things that dwelt in it, especially the tired and battered body of Naruto Senju, the blonde had worked himself to the bone that night, the tree he was training on was covered in scars and scratches while some others were cut to pieces from the jutsu he had been practising on, he had apparently been making progress until he knocked himself out from pure exhaustion.

Elsewhere another figure was in the forest, picking out weeds and herbs so he could make special medicine from, one with healing properties. Like the forest, this young man was calm and serene, the light would shine on him out of pure instinct and birds were never afraid to perch upon his shoulder. Soon enough he noticed the tired blonde and upon seeing his head-band, adopted a steely expression that could melt ice. Slowly inching himself closer he saw that the young shinobi was knocked out and defenceless. Thus he did what anyone would do.

He woke the shinobi up.

'You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here.' spoke the boy to which Naruto jolted out of his sleep and saw the face of his counterpart, a beautiful girl smiling down on him to which the Senju hair could only blush at his embarrassment. 'It's not every day that you find someone who prefers to sleep on the hard ground rather than a bed.'

'Well it was an accident, I swear. In fact, my back feels stiff.' stated the genin causing the other boy to smile in response. 'besides, what are you doing out here?'

'Oh, I'm gathering herbs. The kind that treats illnesses and healing wounds. A friend of mine took a bad tumble and now I'm looking for these herbs to treat him. Although he's being stubborn about it.' with that said an hour passed and the two spent their time looking for the correct plants.

'That's some dedication you have there, collecting all these plants this early in the morning. Your friend must be worth it then.' causing the dark-haired stranger to laugh slightly in response. In a way, he was worth it, being the only family he had left really made you want to go out of the way to help him.

'You're one to talk. Just what were you doing at the crack of dawn in the middle of nowhere?' the question itself brought a huge grin to Naruto's features, excited at the prospect of talking to someone who wouldn't look down or belittle him.

'Training.'

'I see, from your headband, you must be some kind of ninja.'

'Oh yeah, I am. I guess I must be really awesome to look like on then. Huh. But there's still so much I have to do, I need to become a lot stronger than what I am now.' the strange boy questioned why? Why push himself to such an extreme if acquiring power was all he wanted. 'to become the greatest ninja in my village, no in the world! All the people who treat me like dirt will have to say that I'm one worthy of respect. And right now I have to prove myself to a person I know.'

'So, are you doing this for the sake of the person you care for?... Or for you own satisfaction?' queried the boy to which Naruto was taken by surprise, he didn't rightly know at this point in time. The answer was more like a combination of both. 'don't you have anyone special in your life?'

'Well, there's my mot-... no, I don't.' spat Naruto taking the stranger by surprise at his words. Was he about to say his mother? Maybe. For the blonde, things between his mother and him have been, less than idealistic, he would not speak to her let alone look at her, refusing to listen or pay attention to her, the only time you would catch them in the same room now was when dinner was being served and that was about it. To be honest, he was doing it out spite for her. His mother, the person he trusted most in the world, didn't tell him what he was, how much pain could have been avoided if she just trusted him enough. Instead, he heard the news from someone who wanted him dead and not from her. She knew all along and didn't tell him.

'When people are protecting and fighting for something truly precious to them, they truly become as strong as they must be.' spoke the boy causing Naruto to grin widely at his words. 'I know you will get stronger, stronger than you ever think you will and I know that we will meet again. Oh and just so you know, I'm a boy.' stated the stranger before walking away, leaving a grinning Naruto in the field and wise words to comprehend, except for the 'I'm a boy' part.

An hour later, Sakura, Yugito and Kakashi were once again in the middle of the forest with not a sight or hair of either Naruto or Sasuke.

'Now where did our favourite loud blonde run off to. If he keeps up his training he'll tire himself out. And Sasuke, no doubt he's right behind him.' spoke Kakashi just as a kunai fell to the ground, surprising the three as they look up towards the tree to see a grinning Senju lying casually against the branch. Sakura was amazed at Naruto was able to reach that height while Yugito was more than cheerful than ever because of it. The blonde stood up before a devilish thought came to mind, pretending to be in danger the Senju heir purposely looked as if he was going to fall from his height, leaning backwards against the branch as the two girls shrieked in response and Kakashi was scared out of his mind. Only for their fears to go to waste as they saw their team-mate hang from the branch of the tree, laughing hysterically as the two girls then swore vengeance upon the clan heir for scaring them.

'Looks like this will be more interesting than I thought.' spoke Kakashi eye-smiling at the potential of his students.

**Very interesting, but still sorry it so close to canon just be patient. The next chapter will involve the iconic bridge battle and we will see Naruto and team 7 pushed to their physical and emotional limits.  
****For those of you who are still wondering, I will again clarify the harem and I have also made some changes as well.**

**Hanabi**

**Sakura**

**Yugito**

**Hinata**

**Mabui**

**Kurenai**

**Temari**

**And one more can be added, submit suggestions and I will take them into consideration, know that these women will not be included.**

**Kaguya,**  
**Tsunade,**  
**Samui or Karui**  
**Shizune**  
**Ino**  
**Tenten**  
**Anko**  
**Karin**  
**Fu (jinchuriki)**

**These are the girls won't be added to the harem no matter what. and dead female characters (Kushina) and fem characters (fem Haku) also will not count as well.**

**Juubiwriter99 is down and out.**


	11. The Demons Within

****Rebirth of the Two Sons****

****Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or any references I make.****

****SO now we are here at the finale of the Wave arc. also, please be patient, the next chapters we will be getting a divergence from canon I promise. ****

**The Demons Within**

They stood as high and mighty as the trees they settled on, filled with pride and accomplishment over their task at hand. Although, sweat and tears were shed over their sheer overwhelming labour of such a task that both were panting heavily as sweat continued to drip through their hair and clothes while the light of the crescent moon was beating down upon them, echoing their achievements. They traded with each other confident glances with large smiles on their faces masking their features.

What truly elated them, however, was the fact that both had reached the top of the tree at the exact same time. They could only guess that the other drove them to outperform the other, neither content with letting their comrade get the better of them or remain in the other's shadow.

"You know, this was actually fun. You know, like those days where we couldn't be separated." stated Sasuke as he leaned against the trunk, arms crossed together as he wiped some sweat of his brow. 'you know, just us two, upstaging the other on that riverbank with no one to bother us or care about what we were doing.'

"Yeah, like the old days." spoke Naruto as he lied down on a branch in a lazy position causing Sasuke to chuckle at the sight. "do you ever think that..? we can go back to the way things were between us. You know, when the only thing we were concerned about was what we were going to do next or how we would accomplish our dream? Do you remember?"

"Like it was yesterday, I'm not sure if we were just foolish or hopeful back then, thinking that we alone could end world hatred by ourselves. But even now I treasure those days. When we had no cares, worries and everything was fine and we had no troubles. But yeah, I think we can return to the way things were. In time."

"That's great to hear." whispered Naruto as he shut his eyes, the last image in his mind was that of the moon before fully dazing off into a peaceful dream. Sasuke observed this, a smile gracing his features as he soon felt the ebb of slumber gnawing at his form. Soon he closed his eyes all the same, but struggling against the impulses of his body. Soon enough he was fast asleep also, becoming unconcerned with the troubles and problems of the world in favour of this small luxury. Upon a tree, their sensei, arms crossed only watched from his position, smiling in delight at the sight before him, perhaps these two would be fast friends again. Only time will tell for now and so the Jōnin disappeared in a swirl of wind and leaves, leaving his two most promising students upon the branches, where they could sleep soundly into the night.

* * *

When the sun began to rise over the mountains and seas, the moon descending below the horizon did the guests of Tazuna and his family congregate around the breakfast table, all of them looking well-rested and full of energy. They were just served said breakfast by Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami just as Naruto and Sasuke burst through the door, each of them cracking and stretching, yawning from sleeping in the forest.

"Well look at you two, you either look like something the cat dragged in or you look fresh as daisies on a nice spring morning." spoke Tazuna surprised at the appearance of the two boys, he believed that both fell asleep in the forest and it seems his suspicions were correct.

"Well, I am pleased to see that you both made it to the top of the tree. Now you can join your fellow team-mates and myself in guarding Tazuna while he finishes the bridge."

"Just a few more days and it will be complete, don't worry you all can return home soon enough. Work has been dirty, sweaty and a real workout, but I think that's something you two know very well anyway. And I have all of you to thank for its construction, without you five I wouldn't be thankful for my life and my family's life as well. But I also wish to ask something of you all, why did you stay and protect me even after I lied to bring you here." questioned Tazuna to which Kakashi mulled over the question. It was true that many other Jōnin and chūnin would have abandoned the architect, but Konoha wasn't like that and here's the reason why.

"Those who stray from the path of honour have no courage. But under the wings of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive. A quote spoken by one of the founders of our village, the Shodaime Hokage, Hashirama Senju." spoke Kakashi to which Tazuna and his daughter raised their eyebrows, bemused at the response but yet also fully understanding it. Little Inari who was listening then cast his eyes upon the Shodaime's descendent who was eating rice and beans with little care in the world, especially if he could quiet down his raging stomach. The native boy of the waves only recalled memories of his step-father, seeing his bravery and goodwill in the form of Naruto, every nature of the blonde brought forth these memories, from his habits and his large confident smile to the way he walked and talked. As the flash of memories continued to pour into his mind, the young child of eight couldn't help but let tears well up in the corners of his eyes.

"Why?" spoke Inari, his words nothing more than a whisper, catching the Senju heir's attention and worry at the sight of the child's whimpering and tears. "why push yourself to your limits?! No matter how hard you try or train, you'll never be strong enough to defeat Gatō's thugs! You do all these cool things and you say all those awesome stuff! They are just empty words and actions! In the end, it won't even matter! They strong always triumph and the weak die!" yelled Inari, almost at the top of his lungs, shocking everyone at the table especially his own mother at his words.

"Shut up. I'm not like you, I'll never be like you and no matter what you say or how many men Gatō sends, I won't lose. I'm not some fragile glass doll that will break easily."

"Shut up! Just shut up! Just looking at you makes me sick to my stomach! You know nothing about this country! You're just butting into business that's not your own! You don't know a thing about me! All you do is laugh and smile, you don't know a single thing about suffering or loneliness or what my life is like! Like being treated as if you're dirt!" screamed Inari his yells and screams something inside the blonde shinobi, the shadow of his hair completely obscured his eyes and his form was shaking and rattling, clenching his fist so hard they went white and prominent veins could be seen.

"Why don't you listen to yourself whine and complain about how bad things are for you! Like some sorry little victim who would rather blame anyone else but himself! You can whimper and starve yourself for an entire week and I still won't care about what you say! I don't listen to the words of a coward!" roared Naruto gritting his teeth and digging his fingers into the wood of the bench. "Your father, sacrificed everything to free your country, to keep you safe, to give you a better life! He died bravely, no he died a Hero! With a smile on his face and you stand here insulting his very memory! People like you! People like you are the reason this country has gone to shit! Because you won't stand up for a cause worth fighting for! You don't have courage! You don't have hope! And you don't endure the through the hard times... I'm done wasting my breath on you."

"Naruto, I think that's going to far." spoke Yugito, worried over her blonde crush as his face contorted into a scowl.

"I don't apologise for the truth!" snapped Naruto at his friend who recoiled at his reply, hurt by what he said before the blonde excused himself from the table. The Nibi Jinchūriki was sullen for a few moments, her face downcast and hurt at the way her friend treated her for just a moment. Kakashi adopted a similar expression at the turn of the conversation and mood before he cast his sole visible eye on Inari once more who was crying heavier tears at the words of the genin before he ran away from the table.

* * *

An hour past and the young boy had dried up all his tears and sat upon the wooden pier of his home, staring out across the water. His ears perked up when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. When he turned his head he saw none other then Kakashi Hatake standing behind him, an emotionless gaze on his face as he sat beside the young boy.

"...I know that Naruto can be a little harsh sometimes, I guess he gets that from his mother and he tends to speak without thinking. But he wasn't trying to be hateful or cruel, in fact, I believe that his words carried more weight than anyone could expect... Your grandfather told us about your father, Kaiza. You're not aware of this, I didn't expect you to know either but, Naruto grew up without a father, only knowing of him and never meeting the man himself. All he knows of his father, the Yondaime Hokage is that he saved his life on the day of his birth, and that's the entirety of their relationship. And he has very few friends, you can actually count them all on one hand. He was once beloved by the entire village, but something happened that turned those happy memories into ones of pain and suffering. And to be honest, I've never once see him cry, sulk or give up. He's always a bit too eager to jump into the fray, he wants to be respected, acknowledged... that's his dream. But he tries his hardest in the hope that someone will at least notice him and he would risk and put his life on the line for that... My guess is, he just got tired of crying. Even though he is young and still learning, sometimes I find myself surprised by the wisdom he can show, on the rare occasions, he understands what it means to be strong, he knows what it costs and what it's worth just as your father did and his father. I think he knows better than any of us, how you feel." spoke Kakashi surprising the boy. "What Naruto told you earlier, as cruel as it sounded. He's probably told himself that a thousand times already. And he just can't leave you alone, because you are suffering as he did, you've really gotten under his skin and now he feels the need, no, the duty to help you. Because I believe that when he looks at you, he sees himself." spoke Kakashi with an eye smile, stunning the small child as the sensei then excused himself and retreated back inside the house, leaving the young boy to ponder his words.

* * *

An hour later when all was said and done, Kakashi, Yugito, Sasuke and Sakura would depart with Tazuna for the bridge while Naruto would stay behind and protect his family. Though somehow, a few suspected Kakashi's ulterior motives for leaving the Senju heir behind.

When they arrived at the bridge the entire group was shocked to see all the construction crew badly beaten and wounded, moaning against the ground as blood dripped from their lips and they whispered of monsters and demons in the mist to which Kakashi narrowed his eyes, his suspicions having been confirmed. Zabuza Momochi was still alive. Soon enough a blanket of mist blanketed them, it darkened their surroundings and seeped into their very souls.

"Fall into formation!" ordered Kakashi as his three students fell into battle-ready stances, hands on their kunai and shuriken. "I guess he just couldn't wait for round two.

"_Been a while Kakashi, sorry to keep you waiting. I see you still got those brats tagging along and the little boy is trembling again, poor thing._" spoke Zabuza through the mist in a taunting fashion as Sasuke trembled and shivered as several water clones of Zabuza surrounded them, appearing in the middle of the formation with their swords at the ready.

"I'm trembling with excitement." stated Sasuke with a smug smirk gracing his features, amusing the water clones as Kakashi eye smiled, giving his student the signal to attack and with the speed of thunder the Uchiha heir decimated the clones with quick, one-shot attacks that turned every single one of the clones into puddles of water. It was too easy for the raven-haired boy, so much so that he would have demanded something a bit more fantastical if he wasn't facing an opponent who was stronger than he was.

"Ooh, so you could see that they were water clones and they were obviously no match for you. It seems those brats have matured since we last fought, Kakashi. Looks like you have a rival Haku?" said Zabuza to his apprentice, a notable smirk underneath his bandages as the masked boy appeared beside his master and mentor, his voice callow and still.

"So it seems."

"Well, well, looks like I was right. It was all an act. Our mysterious masked friend here is a cute little puppet." said Kakashi a little proud with his theory being true after all. Sasuke only smirked before taking a single step forward, staring Haku in the eye, through the holes in his mask.

"This one's mine. That was quite a show you put on before, but now we're onto you, nowhere to hide and nowhere to run, little parlour tricks like you pulled before won't work now and I hate clowns pretending to be ninja." spoke Sasuke to which his female team-mates nodded, agreeing with his assertion while Haku remained impassive, not affected by the genin's threats and their assertions.

"He's impressive, isn't he? Even though they were just one-tenth of the original strength he did destroy them all in a flash. It's amazing that he was able to do so well." commented Haku to which, finding no fault, Zabuza nodded in agreement, this boy, despite the short amount of time has improved to not only defeat a water clone but ten of them when before he couldn't even handle one really was intriguing. his growth rate was surprising, only a week and he's progressed this much. he had to compiment Kakashi, he knew how to train his students well.

"That move gave you the advantage, use it." spat Zabuza to which Haku nodded in response, becoming a whirlwind of steel as both he and Sasuke clashed respectively.

* * *

Elsewhere at Tazuna's home, the wannabe Samurai cut down the wooden walls of the home, to find Tsunami utterly surprised by their appearance and horrified as she saw the disgusting smirks both possessed.

"Sorry to barge in without knocking, but be a good little thing and come with us." spoke the smaller of the two men as the woman bit her lip in anxiety. In the upper levels, a head of blonde hair heard the distinctive sound of metal and unsheathing of swords, craning his head he listened to the quiet all around him while his ears picked up on the noticeable sound of angry voices. The genin disappeared in a blur so to confront this threat.

Inari who was upstairs, washing his hands after going to the toilet heard the sound of breaking glass and a scream. Without thinking he rushed downstairs to find his mother backed up in a corner with the two swordsmen surrounding her, breaking some of the dishes and glasses. Said boy only ran around the corner and called out to his mother who warned him to stay back for fear of his life. He then heard the thugs saying how they only needed one hostage and that the boy was expendable. Before they could respond, they heard the shriek of the mother and turned their attention back on her.

"If you dare touch my child. I'll bite my own tongue and drown on my own blood, then what will you do for a live hostage!" screamed the mother as the criminals traded glances with the other. They knew they couldn't return to Gatō in failure, his orders were explicit and clear, one hostage.

"Heh, be grateful kid, mothers will do anything to protect their children. It's what makes them weak." said the leader of the two as Inari cried in the corner, cursing himself for being afraid, Naruto's words ringing through his mind, about how he was a coward, that he was the kind of person causing the country to fall into despair. Then he remembered the words of Kakashi, how the blonde had surprising wisdom for someone his age and that pain and suffering somehow only made him stronger. Then finally the image of his father came into mind and he quickly found the resolve to stand up to for what he believed in. Just as the samurai with Tsunami in tow exited the house they were quickly confronted by Inari, to which the swordsman took amusement from.

"Get away from my kaa-chan!" roared Inari as he then charged at the Samurai who were unimpressed with the child as they drew their swords in response with Tsunami screaming for her son to run away and get Naruto. Both thugs unsheathed their swords and 'cut' apart Inari as if he was made of paper. Only to be shocked to see that what they had sliced and diced was nothing more than log. They quickly realised that they had been fooled by a Kawarimi no jutsu and turned around to see a blonde genin in a white jacket holding the kid in his arms and standing by the mother who he had efficiently snatched away, a grin on his face.

"Sorry, I was waiting for the right moment to strike." spoke the blonde as he put Inari down on the ground next to his mother who hugged him so quickly, worried that he would be snatched away in the blink of an eye. "but you know, the heroes are usually late anyway. But thanks to you Inari I got the opening I needed to rescue both you and your mother." Tsunami thanked Naruto from the bottom of her heart, tears flowing down her eyes as she nuzzled her son who was more than happy to see the genin from Konoha. "Inari, that was a brave thing to do. But let me handle these two jokers, okay?"

"Oh please, like a puny little kid like you can handle people like us." said one of the goons as they both charged at Naruto was unafraid of the two meat-heads. The blonde then ducked his hand into one of his holsters and pulled out two shuriken as he casually threw them at the swordsman who was able to block it easily, saying how he was no match for them. If they were paying more attention they would have seen the invisible wire connected to the shuriken to which Naruto then pulled on the metal, directing the shuriken into the thighs of the samurai. They grunted in pain as they felt the metal pierce their muscle and they were unable to think on it further when two feet planted themselves into their faces, these guys lacked discipline and they were momentarily distracted by the weapons allowing the Senju heir to knock them out with a single blow.

"What a bunch of losers, I fought cats stronger than you two." stated Naruto bringing a large smile to Inari's face at the awesome move the genin pulled off. It was like something from a movie, like a real ninja. Inari was then silenced further when he felt a hand on his head of air and the soft smile of the Senju being directed towards him. "I owe you an apology. You're no coward and I was wrong, the wisest of men admit when they're mistaken." continued Naruto only to be slightly dumbfounded when Inari started cracking into tears and cursing himself.

"I... promised myself I wouldn't cry any more. Now you're going to make fun of me and call me a coward again." said the young boy while Naruto only smiled in response, happy for what his words truly did for the boy.

"There's nothing wrong with crying when you're happy." stated Naruto causing the boy to shed even more tears and silently wishing that the genin was his older brother. Soon enough the heir of the Senju clan tied up the sorry-excuses for samurais and left two shadow clones to stay at the house, one to ensure that others wouldn't try to harm the family and one to warn the original should such a threat come. "unfortunately I can't stay. If they attacked you at your own home, than the bridge is also a target and Zabuza could already be making his move. I know you can handle things here and besides.. this 'hero' stuff this is tough work." said Naruto who dashed off into the trees leaving a happy Inari and Tsunami behind with two of his clones. His team needed him more now, and hopefully, they could hold out until he got there.

* * *

Back on the bridge, the clash between Sasuke and Haku was still in full swing. Kakashi ordered Yugito and Sakura to protect Tazuna in advance of any tricks Zabuza might pull. Said swordsman, however, was impressed with Sasuke's speed, to even block one of the masked boy's attacks was impressive enough and he seemed able to keep up with said opponent even still.

"We want the bridge-builder, not you, your blood doesn't need to be spilled. I don't want to kill you but... you probably won't leave quietly, will you?" queried Haku as he and Sasuke continued to trade more blows, their weapons creating sparks from the friction.

"You know it."

"You're making a mistake. You won't be able to keep up with my speed for long. And I have gained two key advantages already. Firstly, there's the water you so flippantly splashed around. Secondly, I've trapped one of your hands with this parrying move. Which leaves you only one hand free to defend yourself with." spoke Haku as he raised his left hand and flashed through handseals with just one hand, something which shocked the opposing party. "**Sensatsu Suishō (Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)**." whispered the boy as a thousand thin needles of water circled around the two, catching Sasuke off surprise but never breaking his block. He quickly summoned his chakra to his feet, remembering Kakashi's training just as the needles exploded with water as they made contact. This sent Haku stumbling back but he was able to regain his footing quickly. He was briefly confused over the disappearance of the Uchiha boy before back-flipping so to avoid a hail of shuriken. Suddenly Sasuke appeared behind the masked shinobi with a kunai drawn and ready to end this fight quickly.

"You're not as fast as you think you are. Now you're the who has to worry about defending yourself from my attacks." whispered the Uchiha heir as he unleashed a flurry of attacks even carefully throwing his kunai and kicking Haku away with relative easy. Zabuza himself was stunned with the display, to think that this little punk was as fast as his most powerful tool... it was insulting. "Guess that ends the debate about who's faster." spoke Sasuke with a smirk, one that infuriated the former Kiri-nin to no end.

"Always underestimating one's opponent always leads to disaster. That was your first mistake. He may not look like much on first glance but Sasuke is the greatest rookie from our village, in our entire village. Sakura is our sharpest mind. Yugito is the top kunoichi in all of our village and then there's Naruto. Let's not forget, he's the one you should be afraid of most." warned Kakashi piquing Sakura and Sasuke's intrigue, why should they be afraid of him exactly? Zabuza upon hearing this could only chuckle to himself as Haku picked himself up off the ground, causing the ninja to scowl at the rogue-shinobi.

"Haku, do you understand that the way things are going now you could end up dying at the very hands you sought to spare. Hurry up and finish him off." ordered Zabuza with his apprentice commentating at how he would have to kill such talent, that it was truly a pity. Sasuke then noticed that the very air itself was turning cold in response to Haku leaking out chakra. Said enemy then formed a single handseal as a pillar of ice formed right behind and around the heir of the Uchiha.

"**Makyō Hyōshō (Secret technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals)!**" spoke Haku as the ice formed into tall as men mirrors that perfectly reflected Sasuke's image in everyone from different angles. Kakashi however was stunned to see a technique on this level, especially a Kekki Genkai, the Hyōton (ice release), he like many others believed this Kekki genkai to have gone extinct years ago, during the blood wars of Kirigakure. Haku then stepped into one of the mirrors, his form perfectly melding with that of that ice and soon enough his image appeared on every mirror, blankly staring at Sasuke who was panicked by such a technique and how he would fight it.

Kakashi upon sighting that Sasuke was in deeper trouble than he originally anticipated rushed towards the collection of mirrors only to be intercepted by Zabuza

"You enter this fight. You fight me." warned the enemy Jōnin with Kakashi scowling at the rogue. "we can play together, while my boy kills yours." taunted Zabuza with a smirk earning a deadly glare from the older Sharingan wielder.

Sasuke in the mirrors readied himself for an attack only to be stunned out of his wits when he felt cold metal pierce his clothes and skin, he look down to see senbon sticking out of his shoulder and before he could remove them a flurry of senbon was thrown around the place with the Uchiha barely being able to defend himself from the onslaught as his whole form was cut apart by the needles, his blood flying in multiple directions as he was torn apart by the barrage. Zabuza warned Kakashi only once that if he wanted to save his student, it would mean he would sacrifice the other three to die, something which the student of the Yondaime couldn't allow.

Yugito sprung into action, jumping away from Tazuna only to launch three kunai towards one of the mirrors, but this action was for nought as a hand sprung from the mirror like a sudden branch, catching one of the kunai and parrying the other two away. It seemed as though all hope was lost for the Uchiha as he saw the masked boy ready the kunai in his hand for another attack. Only he was too distracted with his current prey to see the Fūma Shuriken soaring through the air in an arc only to then slice part of Haku's mask off his face. Everyone was surprised by this only to see a shadow flying over the mirrors blazing through hand seals.

"Fire." said this new shadow which Sasuke picked up in an instant as he too went through hand seals for a jutsu.

"**Katon Gōkakyū no jutsu (Fire release: Great Fireball Technique)/Fūton: Kamaitachi no jutsu (Wind release: Sickle Weasel technique)!**" roared Sasuke and Naruto who released their techniques at the same time, the wind blades of Naruto's jutus bypassed the open cracks through the mirrors before joining with Sasuke's fireball to create a burning inferno that was slowly melting the ice, all but consuming the mirrors in a blaze. Zabuza was astonished by this, pulling off a perfect combination jutsu like that with very little experience amazed him to his core, even the most experienced shinobi in the entire world who had spent years fighting together had difficulty performing such a thing. He could even feel the heat of the flames from his position.

But, before the mirrors could melt completely, thus freeing Sasuke, Haku quickly jumped back into one and soared through the fire, appearing right above the blonde genin and kicking him in the head sending him hurtling into the fire and crashing through one of the mirrors and cancelling the technique. The fires died down and while the most of the mirrors had been melted, they were still standing strong, enough so that Haku was able to repair them with his chakra quickly.

"I want to fight him." spoke Haku as a piece of his mask then fell to the ground as a result of having it cut by Naruto's shuriken, revealing his eye and parts of his forehead.

"How selfish. You want me to keep my hands off his neck, such naivete will get you killed Haku, as usual." stated Zabuza as Sasuke picked Naruto off the ground who was dazed from the kick and slightly singed from the flames but was otherwise unharmed. Sasuke scoffed at the idea of his opponent being naïve, but as he examined his wounds, the evidence was becoming apparent. Although he was cut to ribbons, all the scratches were superficial, nothing that would kill him any time soon, or he could be weakening the Uchiha saving the vital spots and the deathblow for later. Almost as if this boy enjoyed toying with his enemies. Although he couldn't figure out how to counter the mirrors, the image within them made it almost impossible to track him through the ice and he strikes too quickly before he can figure out where he is attacking. He surmised that this was no clone jutsu, not like the Kage Bunshin, its as if the mirrors were somehow a part of him.

"That was clever of you Naruto, using Fūton to enhance your friend's Katon, it might have worked if both of you were better trained in your natures." complimented/criticised Haku as Naruto got back up onto his feet with the help of Sasuke, both frustrated that their combo failed and that the Senju's sneak attack was useless. They were unable to do anything else when the mirror's brimmed light so bright that it blinded the genin and swept them off their feet from a hail of senbon.

"Dammit, where are the attacks even coming from?!" yelled Naruto as Sasuke grunted in pain.

"Your eyes are blind to the truth, you will never catch me." spoke Haku plainly causing Naruto to unleash a volley of shadows clones, hoping to smash every mirror to find the real one hiding in the ice. In a single drop of water, all the clones were summarily defeated shocking the Senju heir with the speed of the attack, guess an all-out assault was useless and if he repeated the same action chances are he will only achieve the same result. "since the both of you are so interested and nothing you do will change, I shall tell you the secret. Like any mirror, these sheets of ice only reflect my image. I am able to pass through each one with the speed no eye can follow. To my eyes, you are as slow as snails, crawling across the ground."

"I could never imagine that someone so young could have mastered such an advanced technique so quickly. And to have perfected his kekki genkai to such a level, without the aid of an older generation. It's unthinkable." sputtered Kakashi as Zabuza chuckled. Yes, Haku had a kekki genkai and he had mastered it to such a degree that he doesn't need outside help to create his own unique jutsu.

"No! I can't let it end like this. I have a dream to fulfil, multiple dreams. I can't die here, not until my clan is restored and I am Hokage! If you think I'll give up! You're mistaken!" with these words, Naruto struck a vital cord within Haku, one that brought up memories of a childhood that should have been forgotten. All except one, when he was found by the person who is most important to him.

"I...find it difficult to embrace the full philosophy of a shinobi. I didn't choose this life for myself. But sometimes those choices are made for you. It's a painful life. I can't help but prefer that the pair of you... don't force me to kill you. If you keep on fighting, I have no choice but to do so as well. Then I shall kill my own heart with my blade and hand, finally embracing the way of the ninja, and then, there will be no mercy, no looking over your shoulder. This bridge is the battlefield of where are dreams will collide and all of our dreams and futures are balanced on the edge of a knife. I have dreams of my own, ones that I see every time I close my eyes, and the both of you have your own. Please, try not to resent me for what I must do. But I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect the one that is most precious to me. To fight, to kill, to die for that person's dreams. That is my dream. To that end, I shall become a true shinobi, and that means killing the two of you."

"...Wait... those words... they sound." whispered Naruto, recognising them from a day that almost felt like a life-time ago. "Are you? That boy?" questioned Naruto to which he received no definite response as Haku stood in the mirror in silence.

"Naruto! Sasuke! Don't listen to him, don't lose to him!" roared Sakura only to be quickly silenced by her sensei.

'Don't encourage them Sakura. Even if we knew of a way to counter his techniques, both boys are not up to the task and as seen from Naruto's sneak attack, anything we try on this side won't work either. They have the desire to win, but neither have the instinct to kill." replied Kakashi as Yugito jumped away to his side, knowing that helping either of them was all for nought. "that boy in the mirror is a whole different breed, he lives to take lives and spread pain."

"Those two boys Don't have the strength or the will to take life. Your village has become complacent since the Yondaime Hokage's death all those years ago. No shinobi could ever be born of a place like that, a place of weakness... of peace. It truly astounds me at how some of the most powerful shinobi in history were born in such a pitiful village. You don't live with death, or grow up needing to kill to ensure your own survival, in you those skills and the mindset they require are birthed into you! Your students fail to learn the most important lesson of all, to protect life you have to take it. To kill the feelings in their own hearts, to turn it to ice or let it bleed." spoke Zabuza causing Kakashi to raise a hand to his hitai-ate. "heh, going to use the Sharingan? What a vulgar move. So obvious, so lacking in finesse."

"Forgive me if I end this quickly." however, he had to recoil as Zabuza launched himself forward, taking out a kunai knife in an attempt to stab Kakashi's special eye. He failed however when the Konoha Jōnin brought a hand up to block the attack, his blood exploding from the open wound in his palm. "you can sneer all you want about my 'lack of finesse,' Zabuza... it doesn't change the fact that you fear the Sharingan. And you fear me."

"A ninja's secret weapon... should be employed judiciously, not displayed at random at every face, like an exhibit in a museum."

"You should be privileged. No one else has ever lived to see my Sharingan twice. And you will never see it again."

"By all means, defeat me, if you can. You still won't have what it takes to kill Haku." declared Zabuza, a smirk on his face. "when I found him, as a toddler, barely able to walk, barely able to breathe I could see then the potential to kill without hesitation, the great strength that he possessed. Since that day I've beaten his fighting skills into him, even if it broke his bones. Even in the face of unthinkable adversity, he has always prevailed. He's lost all his regard for his own life and became a killing machine... a true shinobi. I taught him everything I knew, even things I didn't know. His skills now surpass my own and he bears within his own blood the formidable legacy of a Kekkei Genkai. His skills developed quickly and soon he could face the most powerful of enemies. Outnumbered, in total darkness, none of it mattered. He could strike with perfect accuracy. Thus I have forged and carry with me a weapon of matchless quality and skill. Entirely unlike the scraps of trash that follow at your heels, licking your boots."

"Nothing is more dull than listening to someone else brag!" shouted Kakashi unleashing his blood red eye upon the swordsman.

"Perhaps you might hold off a moment, now that I've caught my breath. And- to borrow your idiom- permit me one more boast. You turned a very pretty phrase at our last encounter. Frankly, I've been dying to steal it. That nothing your do will work a second time. Having had a chance to see it in action, I now have a thorough understanding of the mystery workings of your copying eye. There was far more to our previous battle than the apparently humiliating defeat I permitted you to hand me. Haku, who was hiding nearby, observed and studied every aspect of our fight, from beginning to end. He is extremely intelligent, for him to see techniques is to analyse and understand. And with that understanding, he can develop effective counter-measures, not unlike that boisterous blonde brat." spoke Zabuza disappearing into the mist. In response, Sakura and Yugito stood either side of Tazuna while Kakashi deduced that the mist was far too thick for even Zabuza to see through it. The sensei then had to repel shuriken and kunai that were thrown at him with one of his own, only to feel a whisper of a voice against his neck. "you repelled those nicely, I expected nothing less from Kakashi of the Sharingan. However, next time you see me, it will be the end. You've overestimated the value of the Sharingan. You pretend that it enables you to penetrate all... yet... you've turned out to be a false prophet Kakashi. You can neither read my mind nor see the future. In other words, your precious Sharingan is just an elaborate hoax, a confidence trick you play for psychological warfare. More precisely, it combines clarity of vision and insight on your own part with the ability to all but hypnotise that around you! Using those skills in concert, you are able to create your illusion through a combination of mimicry-from movement to thoughts, to those sharp skills of yours. Prancing around acting like you can see the future. You analyse my movements and copy them, using rapidity to induce fear and insecurity. Once you're certain and understand what's going on in my heart and mind, you calculate just what to say to bend my mind to your will then you use my fear and insecurities against me, you lay your trap and trick me into signalling what technique I'll use next, and then all you have to do is mimic it. Knowing that, it was simple to choose a counter-measure. I conceal myself in the mist and blind you." spoke Zabuza as he pushed Kakashi away with a kick. "with my own eyes closed, as insurance so you don't trick me again."

"But then... while I can't use my own eyes, neither can you!" called out Kakashi as he pulled out another kunai from his holsters.

"Ah, but you forget, I am trained in silent killing, I don't need eyes, you clumsy footsteps just give you away." what he said was true, and it was gnawing at Kakashi, he could fight with just sound, he's been trained for it, all he needs is a breath, a breaking twig or the sound of rolling stones to kill you. He's been so worried about Naruto and Sasuke, he hadn't even considered how long it has been since he fought under these adverse of conditions. He spun around on his feet as he knew where the next attack was coming, his target all along! He saw Zabuza appear out of the thick fog, drawing his cleaver sword just as he put himself between Tazuna and Zabuza, but by then, it was too late.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke however, were struggling, resembling pin-cushions and porcupines with all the senbon jutting from their bodies, both ways were struggling to even stand, the stinging pain from the needles covering every inch of their body. Haku had aimed for debilitating spots such as the heels and ankles and no matter what the two tried, even once again trying to perform another combo, the ice-wielder would have none of it, he had seen what happens when you let your opponents live, they become stronger over time and your own undoing. They even heard the screaming of Sakura from beyond the mirrors only driving them to fight on for longer, hoping to reach their friends and sensei, if the masked ninja had a say in it.

For Sasuke, Haku's movements were beginning to become more clear, he could see the paths he would take and where he would fire the senbon, but still, he still had trouble even dodging them and it was even more difficult when the rogue-nin would replicate his appearance in the mirrors. Even Haku was beginning to pick up on this new perception of the Uchiha, he was now actively targeting for mortal injuries but the heir kept evading and was beginning to see patterns in his movements, it was only a matter of time before Haku's own abilities would become predictable and he himself on the defensive. All the while Sasuke was gradually gaining speed, whenever he focused his attention between Haku and Naruto. Haku knew, he just knew that this was no ordinary genin.

'Sasuke, this one, he shows amazing stamina, reflexes, skill, and judgement, he's already beginning to pick up on my moves.' Haku, deciding that such a threat couldn't go on living unleashed a massive volley of senbon towards the Uchiha who saw the flicker of the needles, grabbed the downed Naruto and dodged the oncoming barrage. 'impossible, he saw every move, down to the last detail, he wasn't fooled or even confused. How?' questioned Haku as he stared into Sasuke's eyes, seeing nothing but the blood-red eyes of the Sharingan, two tomoe in the right eye and one in the left. As the ice-wielder stared into those blood-thirsty eyes all he could feel was the cold travelling up his spine. 'impossible, no it is possible, he's a member of the Uchiha clan. It's the only explanation as to why he would have such eyes.'

"I see, you are of a legacy of blood as I am." stated Haku, amazed at the awakening of a kekkei genkai such as his own, what impressed him even more was that while a prodigy, he was still in his fledgling state to find the ability for himself and to force it to the service, untutored, in the heat of battle. Such individuals were rare, even among those of the kekkei genkai branch. Haku was now aware that the Uchiha heir could see all of his movements and react accordingly, things have only become much more difficult for the masked nin. "I can't let this go on, my own art forces me to expend a great deal of chakra, so there is a limit as to how long I can keep this up. And I am certain that the longer this duel of ours goes on, the greater you ability to perceive my movements will become. Especially since, to a certain extent, you can already see me." ' but if I use Naruto as the bait. I can bring this to an end!' thought Haku to himself. And in a flash, he covered a tremendous short distance in a split second that Sasuke could narrowly see and he was heading straight for his best friend!

Without thinking the Uchiha launched himself forward, using what little strength he had left in his body to cross the short distance. If he could make it in time.

* * *

Blood was spilled onto the ground, taking a blow that was meant for the bridge-builder did Kakashi shield another from death but also sustaining a terrible wound in the process. Right across his chest.

"You were slow on your guard Kakashi! You desire to save those brats caused the blood to rise to your head, obscuring your vision and thoughts as surely as I've created this fog. Even with your sharp as daggers eye and the formidable powers you wield with it, your ability to read my movements has been blunted. Come on Kakashi, I want this to be fun! Paying back what you did to me would give me the greatest pleasure! Don't worry about those boys of yours, they're at Haku's mercy, no they're breathing their last breaths right about now. Just relax, I'll be reuniting you with them shortly and you'll be weeping out an apology for those boys when you see them in the next life." said Zabuza laughing in utter enjoyment.

"Naruto and Sasuke won't lose to that masked pig." spat Sakura.

"No way, They both will pull through I know it." Asserted Yugito as Kakashi heaved from his wound.

"I have faith in them, and their strengths, Naruto's unpredictability and Sasuke's cunning. Both are among the most worthy heirs to two of our greatest lineages."

"Wait, you can't possibly mean?" said Zabuza widening his eyes at the thought.

"That's right, their full names are Naruto Senju and Sasuke Uchiha, both carry within their blood the power of legends. Legends such as Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha! The two most powerful shinobi in history."

"So, both are the sole surviving members of their clans. I had heard of these two in my travels, the last scion of Tsunade and the survivor of the Uchiha clan." remarked Zabuza noting how both of their progressions were so rapid and fast. "they may indeed be rivals for Haku then, no one has ever penetrated the secrets of Haku's techniques, until now... no one."

"You're right Zabuza, it is time to end this, but you will be the one to fall! Do you truly believe after all the hardships I suffered through! Everything that I have survived in this world! I did with only my Sharingan?! I too was once a member of the ANBU I will show you first hand what kind of shinobi I was! And this isn't something I learned with the Sharingan! Let me show you my art!" yelled Kakashi inside the mist, pursuing Zabuza in the dense fog.

* * *

His eyes were shaking and from the pain he knew he was still alive. His vision was blurred but could still see clearly, the very first image that came to his sight was his own hand then the image of a leg standing tall against a downed opponent and the first sound he heard was of grunting in pain.

"You always, get in the way, Naruto. It never fails to piss me off." spoke Sasuke while Naruto grinned in joy at his friend who was unharmed? No, that wasn't right, even he could see the blood dripping from the open wounds, in greater quantities, even now he could hear the splashing. He then saw the onyx eyes of his best friend stare down at him in defeat. "you should see the look on your face. You look like a loser." said Sasuke causing Naruto's eyes to widen horrifically in dread. The image itself was almost like something from a nightmare, one he couldn't scratch out of his face.

"Why?! Why risk everything for me?!" screamed Naruto at the horror before his eyes, something gripping his heart as he watched each drop of blood fall to the ground.

"Why? You ask me why? I don't know, my body just moved on its own." spoke Sasuke recounting all the memories he had with the blonde, from their first meeting to them training together by the river, to talking about their dreams and hopes for the futures, to discovering their life long animal friends, to when he broke apart their friendship, all the times the two glared at each other, when they accidentally kissed each other in that class room, when they were on missions, when they were climbing trees with just their feet, when they asked if things could be as they were. Even now, he still believed that things could go back to the way they were. "you know, for a time, I hated you. You who was the constant itch at the back of my mind, the one who was always in the corner of my vision."

"I didn't ask you to save me! I didn't ask for this!" roared Naruto sadness and heartache filling his body at the words his best friend was saying.

"No, but what are brothers suppose to do?" questioned Sasuke shocking Naruto with that one word 'Brother'. Somehow, that one word spoke volumes and moved kingdoms for the blonde Senju heir, this was the first time, no, the only time that Sasuke has referred to him as a brother. The Uchiha heir then fell backwards, losing his footing only to be caught by his friend, holding him in his arms. "I swore I wouldn't die... not until I killed him... Itachi, I made an oath but... Don't let your dream die... you were the brother I chose." whispered Sasuke as his eyes closed with Naruto widening his own in sorrow, screaming inside his mind for his friend not to die, but no matter how hard he shook his body, he wouldn't move, he screamed and flailed Sasuke around but he would not open his eyes or move a finger. Unconsciously tears began to form in the corners of the Senju heir's eyes as he cradled Sasuke's head in the crook of his arm and pressed his own head against his chest, hoping to hear a heartbeat, some kind of vital sign. But he only heard Haku's words cutting through the silence.

"He found a strength he didn't realise he had. Why? Because of a person who was so precious to him. To save that person he rushed in without hesitation knowing that it was a trap. He was a true shinobi, worthy of the utmost respect. Is this the first time you have seen a friend die before your own eyes? This is what it means to be a ninja."

"_Shut your mouth._" warned Naruto as he grit his teeth and tears began to fall from his eyes. "I used to hate you too but yet... you were the brother I chose." whispered Naruto as he gently laid Sasuke on his back as steam and smoke began to rise in a ring around the blonde, surprising Haku at the amount that was generated and the heat that swathed through the air before he felt a killing intent he had never felt before, one so powerful that it was almost drowning him. "_I'll kill for this_..._ **I'll rip out your spine!**_" and with those exact words a red flame-like aura burst to life around Naruto, spiralling upwards like a whirldwind, chakra so powerful and thick, it could be seen by one's naked eye. It cut through the stone ground, tearing apart the tiles and uplifted small rocks, shooting them towards the sky while the very land quaked in fear.

Haku was so shocked by the appearance of this new chakra that he couldn't comprehend it for a few seconds, it overwhelmed him, filled every part of his being with fear and hatred, the very air itself turned against him as it burned and grew to new levels of heat, reacting to the surging power around him. The chakra itself was ghastly, full of rage and malice, the thirst to spill blood was permeating Haku's very core, even images of his own blood spilling across the ground began to fill his thoughts. The only other way he could describe it was that it was evil itself. Soon the shroud twisted and contorted into the spectral shape of a madly grinning fox with eyes so sharp and fiery they could pierce through skin.

The senbon needles that were jutting from Naruto's body were pushed out from his form and the wounds across his limbs and torso were healing at an unnatural rate, almost as if they were never there, to begin with. The nails on his hands grew and sharpened into claws while his canines became elongated and more like fangs, the whiskers on his face darkened and thickened as black lines circled around his eyes which were now blood-red and slitted, mirroring the raging emotions around him and finally his spiky locks became even more manic and wild. Haku questioned just what sort of child he was as he stared into those hateful eyes and he could swear for just a moment, he could see his own death.

* * *

Everyone on the entire bridge felt the arrival of this new presence, especially Yugito as the Nibi inside her was acting fearful and on edge, it too was sensing the dark presence of her brother as it hissed and clawed at the presence while a sting of pain overcame Yugito who fell to her knees and held her shoulders in some form of comfort while her own tailed beast raged inside its cage. she screamed in abject pain, startling Tazuna and Sakura as they tried to comfort her in vain.

'Is this Zabuza's doing?!' questioned Kakashi inside his mind, before realisation came crashing down on him like a tidal wave. 'No! This presence, I felt it before, all those years ago, it's something I'll never forget. It can't be?! There's no mistaking it!'

'What is this energy?! There's something foul in the air, is it Kakashi? No, this presence, it's far too strong, even for him. Where's it coming from?!' yelled Zabuza in his mind, visibly sweating from the hatred that clouded his mind, the urge to kill strictly in the corner of his thoughts. Whatever it was, it was the purest evil he had ever encountered, nothing had come close to this level of wrath.

'Naruto! Unbelievable, after all, this time? At the worst possible time! Everyone on this bridge is in danger, no! Everyone in the entire country is at risk! The seal has broken! Only I can stop it! And Yugito? Is the presence of another tailed beast weakening her own seal? No matter what the Nibi and the Kyūbi must not be set loose! No-wait... I sense that we're safe, the seal hasn't broken, only loosened and the glimmer of the fox's power is bleeding through. If I don't act now, there won't be another time to fix the seal!' roared Kakashi in his mind as he pulled out a scroll from within his pouches and wiping some of his own blood unto the inscription of the seal. "listen to me Zabuza! Sorry to spoil your fun! But we're both busy men with a lot on our plates and it goes against the grain to even suggest this but lets stop screwing around! And wrap this up right now! One big move! Winner takes all!"

"An intriguing motion, show me what you've got!"

* * *

Back inside the dome of ice, the powerful red chakra of the fox was calming down except for its vessel who was now more animal than man at this very moment. The wind picked up and became violent with the growls of the Senju heir. Haku recognised the hatred in his eyes and he was certain that this was no longer a child, but a savage beast. He was unable to think on it further as the jinchūriki rushed at one of the mirrors with speed that he had never seen before, Haku threw his senbon at his opponent only for the wild Naruto to usher a roar that scattered the needles all over the place and flung dust and debris around as the pressure in the air became heavy and dense. Haku quickly jumped to another mirror just as the Senju heir was close and noticed how his chakra was growing every second, burning like a fire and growing into a raging torrent. He then unleashed an onslaught of more senbon which easily penetrated the body of the blonde, but it had little effect, the jinchūriki roared at the top of his lungs, loud enough for all on the bridge to hear it with the needles bursting from his body.

Haku recoiled from the pressure that was released and in that moment of distraction did Naruto attack, shattering one of the mirrors with a single blow from his fist. Haku was able to escape by flying from a shard of ice and plummeted towards Naruto with his senbon at the ready, hoping to end this quickly. He failed in his endeavour when his opponent spun away and slid across the ground, causing the ice user to crash into the hard surface of the bridge. But nothing could have prepared Haku for what was next. Something unexpected occurred and it caught the tool of Zabuza completely by surprise. The blonde waved through hand seals for a jutsu ending the dog seal.

"**Kinton: Ryūsandan Iki (Metal release: Shrapnel Breath)!**" all but screamed Naruto as he opened his mouth wide as a hail of sharp metal sailed from his jaw, Haku had little time to react, he knew that if he didn't dodge this attack he would be torn apart by it, literally. And he was so shocked to see such a jutsu thta it all but made him hesitant to move, it completely eviscerated one of his mirrors and several others in its vicinity and it shredded through the skin and muscle of Haku who was only able to dodge vital spots but where he ran Naruto turned his head firing off the shrapnel in whatever direction his head was facing. Haku jumped into a mirror when he knew he couldn't outrun the metal and his mirror was quickly torn apart before he jumped to another one.

The maddened Senju heir, seeing that such a technique wouldn't work any more shut his mouth and growled at the ice-user, steam and smoke becoming visible whenever he breathed. Haku prepared for another similar offence when he saw his enemy flashed through multiple seals once again, only this time it ended with the snake seal. Naruto then slammed his hands into the stone ground, completely sinking his claws through the stone before craning his head up and glaring at Haku once more, only this time, the fake hunter was even more astonished by what he saw.

"**Mokuton: Ryū Chōkyō Seichō (Wood release: Dragon Taming Growth)!**" cried Naruto as the ground beneath him and Haku began to shake and quake and for the Ice user to recoil in surprise as six Wooden Dragon heads erupted forth from the ground with necks like tree trunks and teeth as sharp as thorns, the dragons quickly obliterated the ice mirrors either spearing themselves through the ice or biting onto the glass-like ice and smashing it against the ground or chomping the same mirror and tearing it apart from their shear strength, like it was some slab of meat. Haku was almost killed by one when its jaws encircled around his mirror, he was able to escape in time only to be grabbed by the wrist with vice-like strength and was spun around on his feet, wind picking up and fluttering about the place as the six wooden dragon heads stared at Naruto and Haku. For the Senbon user, he once again peered into those eyes as even more violent red chakra seeped through the blond's form, kicking up the wind and cracking the mirrors from its unstoppable power. He couldn't get away, he couldn't escape, he watched as the Senju heir reared his fist and smashed it against the remains of the mask, cracking it completely with his amazing strength and sent the enemy shinobi hurtling through an ice mirror, shattering it into tiny pieces upon impact. Haku tumbled across the ground, pain racking his form as he skid across the stone in a heap.

As a result, the rest of the mirrors broke apart like glass, creating a myriad of shining light that contrasted with the raging features of Naruto, who roared on the spot with such force that dust and wind kicked up in response, even his wooden dragons joined him, adding to his volume and ferocity. Haku only picked himself up from the ground, wearily and shakily as he still felt the force of the punch and he was low on chakra on the very edge of exhaustion, he had barely enough chakra for one Jutsu, but to some, it was all they needed. When the dust settled, the Senju heir rocketed towards his foe, ready to end this battle in a heartbeat and while he was running, time seemed to slow down for Haku as he lamented over his failure to Zabuza as his mask slowly broke apart, and fell to the ground in pieces. He admitted it, out of all the Jōnin and countless ninja he had killed, this boy, this one child had proven to be his better, he was no match for him, if he continued to fight against him, he would surely die. He was defeated and just as the blonde launched himself into the air, ready to punch his enemy in the face, the last remnants of Haku's mask cascaded to the ground, almost as if they were silent tears.

He didn't brace himself for the impact of the fist, there was no reason to, he failed, he fought to the best of his ability and it wasn't enough. You could only imagine his slight surprise when the knuckles stopped right before his face, his enemy still in an attacking position but his head was cast down, staring at the ground below him all the while he growled and hissed at his own reluctance to strike down this foe. Soon enough, Naruto's features returned to normal, all the blood-lust, rage and hatred having disappeared in a breeze.

"You..." muttered Naruto sharply, gritting his teeth as he then stared up at his enemy. "You were the boy from the woods the other day. Just from the way you spoke during the battle, everything reminded me of that boy, and yet, I didn't want to believe it, just how could... how could you do this?"

"And why do you not strike? Did you not just vow to avenge your brother's death... and still you spare me?! Or was that vow just empty words?" questioned Haku as Naruto stared back at the corpse of Sasuke and that image, it was enough to drive him forward as he struck Haku across the face, the defeated ice wielder, remaining impassive and emotionless. The force of the blow was enough to send him crashing to the ground and to cough up blood as a result. "no, that won't do, you lack the conviction from before, the conviction to kill me, if that is all the strength you could put into it than you can never keep your promise. Perhaps he didn't mean that much to you as you pretend." spoke Haku forcing Naruto to remember his words from the woods, about if there was anyone who was precious to him? And then recalling how his master was precious and how carrying out his will was his only dream. "to show mercy to those who oppose the one you want to protect, to allow his enemies to live when you can strike them down. This is not compassion, it's an empty existence, a betrayal of your life's very purpose, for what reason do you exist for? You are of use to no one, your life will have little meaning, it is just that, day after day of pain and struggle. Signifying nothing. To go on alone and unloved when defeat has already cost you your dream."

"Just what are you saying!" hissed Naruto

* * *

as he clenched his fists together in growing rage, listening to everything Haku has said.

"Are you really that blind? Little wing. I am speaking of myself, this day has shown that I am no longer of use to Zabuza. You've taken away my reason for living." stated Haku as the Senju heir boiled with rage at the very notion.

"Why Zabuza anyway?! Devoting your life to villian who doesn't even know the meaning of the word honour! If he's really the one person that matters to you! Then that's the worst excuse I have ever heard." accused Naruto, sick to his stomach to even think that such a person is even worthy of devotion.

"Once, a lifetime ago. I was precious to many people, I belonged, my life was content and peaceful, nothing could go wrong as I spent my with my father and my mother. I was born in the Land of Water, shortly after the blood wars ended. In a small village where the snow lies deep in the winter. Mr parents were farmers and they were happy and comfortable with their lives. My parents were good people and they were kind to me. We were all so happy once. But then, everything changed. Just as I was getting old enough to really notice the world around me, something happened. The blood, my blood." confusing Naruto at his statements. "my father killed my mother in cold-blood right in front of me and then he tried to kill me... Kirigakure has been the scene of generations of non-stop war. Among its people, like most other Hidden villages, there were clans and people who possessed extraordinary abilities like you and me. Kekkei Genkai-skills that comes from our blood lineage to our ancestors- are loathed as abominations of nature. Of course, the team refers to any clan with powers like ours, my Hyōton and your Mokuton and Kinton. Inherited skills that were exploited and twisted, used to cause widespread slaughter on a genocidal level... until we ceased to be looked on as warriors or even weapons, but were condemned as the Harbingers of Doom that would lead Kirigakure and the Land of Water to ruin. After the wars were ended, we who possessed these gifts were hunted down like sick animals. The surviving clans were only able to survive by hiding ourselves and our abilities. Exposure of any kind meant certain death. I'm sure if you search the memories of that boy I killed, I am sure he must have also grown up knowing the pain of which I speak. The cruelty of men and their fear of things they don't understand. We three are special, we are powerful and we are feared. My mother was successful in hiding her lineage from keen eyes, she met a simple farmer with whom she fell in love with and married and for years after that, my mother believed that she would live a peaceful life to the end of her days. My father learned soon, after my birth, that my mother was a descendent of a clan that could manipulate and create ice, the Yūki clan and then he quietly spread the secret around our small village and before I realised what I was about to do, my father died, killed by my own hands... When the traumatic memories passed and I was myself again, I was no longer myself. Both my mother and my father were gone, and because of the kekkei genkai, I knew I would never be accepted into another family. But I also knew that something else had been taken from me. Something even more important and that is when I truly began to despair. I was forced to accept this harsh truth and it was the most painful thing imaginable. My purpose, in all the world there was no one who needed me. I was unnecessary." continued Haku shocking Naruto with how similar the story seemed to be, compared to his own. "Why is it that you are so determined to be Hokage? because you want all the eyes in the village to look at you and recognise you, not as a great ninja but as a real person, they want to see you, and not what you want to represent. You see it only through the eyes of others that our lives have any significance. When there is no one who sees you or even know you're there is it though you do not exist. If you had someone in your life who did more than that... who acknowledged your existence, even cared for you. Wouldn't that person become the most precious thing in the world to you." spoke Haku, images of Tsunade and Iruka flooding into the blonde's mind. "then Zabuza came, he looked at me and his eyes were not full of hate or fear, he did not shun me for my powers. Indeed my special abilities were exactly what he wanted. The very thing in me that made everyone else hate me-he didn't overlook look it, he cherished it... I was never more happy!" spoke Haku as tears welled in his eyes as he recounted that one memory, the one which warmed his heart when it was cold. "I... have failed you Zabuza, I am like a weapon that has been broken and discarded and of no further use." whispered the ice-wielder to himself before taking a few steps forward towards his enemy. "Naruto, take my life."

* * *

Kakashi in the mist was holding the scroll he had just unfurled, rushing through hand seals before slamming his hand seals down on the ground.

"**Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu (Summing: earth release: Tracking Fang technique)!**" multiple cracked line spread across the ground, causing a small rattle in the ground before the small quakes died down.

"I don't know why you bother! This posturing will get you nowhere! You can't even tell where I truly am! While on the other hand, I know exactly where you are and how to kill you, your breath and footsteps just make you are target! You are in my realm, Kakashi!" yelled Zabuza only to feel the ground beneath his feet shake and rumble before something burst from the ground, leaving open cracks as it latched onto his legs arms and back. Multiple large dogs surrounded him, binding him with their own weight and stopping his movements altogether.

"When both your eyes and ears fail you, you can count on your nose it worked because you closed your eyes in the mist, this summoning of mine is made for tracking, the mist is nothing to them, doesn't halt their advance it just makes things easier for them. When you attacked me, I went out of my way to bleed a bit during both of our earlier encounters my little pups would pick up the scent of my blood on your weapons. Surprised, looks like I wasn't the only one who was blind. Falling into my trap, how disappointing Zabuza." spoke Kakashi as the heavy blanket of the fog was finally clearing, now that it didn't have anyone sustaining it. "Ah, the mist is clearing and now I can see the future again and all I see is your death."

"So you say my future is death! Why something that will come true no matter what, it doesn't matter if it's today, next week or in ten years, all of us will be nothing but meat in the end."

"You obviously don't understand the predicament you're in. one word from me and my hounds will tear you apart like a chew-toy and you've had your fun. Everything that you've done has failed. The day you betrayed your village, your name, and your actions were reported to us at Konoha. We all know about that failed assassination and the coup you pulled. Now you've been trying to raise funds for a second attempt and barely staying a step ahead of the hunters that pursue you. Which is what brought you here. It's why you would stoop to a cockroach's level." Kakashi then performed three hand seals. "it's time to end this, but it won't be with Sharingan or some pale imitation of a jutsu, let me introduce you to the blade that can cut lightning! **Raikiri (Lightning cutter)!**" yelled Kakashi as he held his hand out as lightning arced around him and was discharged from his hand. Zabuza himself could feel the chakra, even see it and the lightning seemed to numb his body just by being close to it. "you're a sick dog, and Tazuna, he's the heart and soul of this country and his bridge is the nexus of all the hopes of this country. And you're willing to sacrifice it and this country to achieve your own ambitions. That is not the will of the shinobi."

"Spare me the civic lessons, I don't care! I fight for myself and nothing will stop me! These useless little people and their petty little dreams. None of it matters to me! I have a dream of my own."

"But to have a dream you have to have a future. And the only future that awaits you right now is the one that we all must meet."

* * *

Naruto was shocked by Haku's request, end his life because he supposedly had nothing left to live for?!

"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! Zabuza treats you like a slave and you want to die for him! All because you were defeated by me?! That's not something that's worth dying for! There's more to life than just fighting. There's more to you! He has to see you for more than just your power and abilities! He has to care in some way?!" screamed Naruto, there were plenty of causes that were worth dying for, protecting your loved ones, sacrificing yourself to save others, not this. Not something like this.

"Do you remember? That day in the forest when I met you? I remember thinking that you and are the same. I thought you could understand me. You'll have to bloody your own hands to forgive me but this is the only way. I am without purpose. Go on, do it, shred me apart with metal rain or rip odf my legs and let me bleed with your wooden beasts. For both of our sakes, do it." spoke Haku as his enemy stared at his own hands in contemplation, he remembered now, how he had shed blood with these own hands before, the first time he tapped into his power. Back then, he believed that he had no choice he was bring ripped away from his mother and his home, he had no choice but to kill them, but now, now he thought that there might have been another way, that the blood that was spilt that day didn't need to be. And blood didn't have to be spilt some more on this day. In fact, as he thought it over, he just couldn't.

"I can't... how can I? When you taught me so much about being a shinobi, about how true strength his found. You taught me that so long as we have someone who cares for us, even if it is just one person. Your life can become so much better and you can follow your dreams. I don't think I even hate you now. So you're asking a feather to cut you instead of a blade. No matter what I won't do it, you don't have to die just because you were defeated! and from this fight and that day in the woods, you taught me so much about living and the shinobi life that I can never forget it now! There's a saying that I like one that I carry with me 'that even just one word, no matter what kind. Can destroy empires and build cities, change the world for good or ill'. You changed my life, you may not realise it but your words, they inspire me to move on no matter the difficulty because you taught me that some things are just worth fighting for!" yelled Naruto causing Haku to raise his eyebrows in surprise, not uterring a single word as silence rained over the two before Haku smiled down at his foe.

"Then. I hope you achieve your dream. And I'm sure that in another time and place, we could have been friends." spoke Haku as he whipped out a senbon from within his sleeves and was ready to spear them through his lower jaw, which would cause him to bleed to death if Naruto wasn't fast enough to stop him. And just as he felt the cold metal of the blade right against his skin, he also felt he warm touch of blood on his chin. He turned to stare down at Naruto, was holding the senbon in his fingers, but also drawing the water of life at the same time.

"You can still continue your dream, no one else has to die on the bridge! You can still serve Zabuza, but you can't continue your dream if you kill yourself!" yelled Naruto horrifying Haku at such a notion, if he was weak then he couldn't serve Zabuza to his full ability. The ice wielders ears then picked up at the sound of howling dogs and crackling lightning, the mist began to clear and he saw Kakashi ready to end Zabuza. "...you're right, I will continue my dream. Thank you." spoke Haku as he swatted Naruto's hand away and threw the senbon into his ankle, stopping him from running after the apprentice of Zabuza who disappeared in a cold wind.

* * *

As Kakashi thrust his palm forward, he noticed the build up of ice right in front of him, appearing out of nowhere like a mirage. Lightning and blood arced and splashed over the place as Kakashi's hand pierced something that blocked his path, the red thick liquid dripped over the faces of Zabuza and Kakashi, both staring in confusion and disturbance at what had placed itself between the lightning and Zabuza. The hounds that pinned the the swordsman in place all disappeared in a puff of smoke. Both were none the less dreading the moment before their eyes, Haku, standing there, Kakashi's arm through his chest as lightning spat and waved on either side of his body, his blood leaking like a tap and spilling onto the ground, his eyes were dead and dark, like those of a fish and he was motionless like a statue. The lightning died down as the last few breaths of Haku were spent holding Kakashi in place, ready to die in a moment's notice.

"You said this moment will lead to my death. You missed once again Kakashi!" taunted Zabuza, smirking at this new victory.

Naruto however was shakily running towards the direction where Haku took off, the mist was clearing and he could see more clearly. Haku, was really careful to slow him down, even when he removed the senbon it was a hurdle to even run. Until he saw _it_ he slowed down on the spot as he saw the red all over the place. His eyes widening in horror, Naruto released a scream in pain at the loss of his friend. He was wrong, Haku was wrong, despite everything, the blonde truly regarded him as a friend, ever since they first met in that forest. And now, once again he was watching another friend die right before him. he fell to his knees as he screamed to himself until his own throat was becoming sore.

"Well done, Haku." complimented Zabuza at the corpse of his fallen apprentice, and with that said, the rogue-shinobi grasped his giant cleaver intent on slicing through Haku to get to Kakashi, but one thing gave him pause. The first memory of the child he would raise not only as a weapon but as his own son, even if he refused to admit it. "I knew I found a treasure in that gutter all those years ago! To think that he would grant me this one marvellous chance!" roared Zabuza as he swung his sword, with Kakashi responding in a just a second, grabbing the ice-wielder's body and jumping far enough to evade the length of the blade. "Oh, so you were able to get away because poor Haku is already dead." spoke Zabuza infuriating Naruto with his dismissive words, acting as if Haku was nothing more than a human shield.

"Stay out of this Naruto! This is my fight!" warned/ordered Kakashi as Naruto gritted his teeth in rage and clenched his fist in anger. As one final gesture of respect on the Jōnin's part, he closed Haku's eyes, hoping that the boy would not see the horrors of the living. Naruto then heard the sound of footsteps coming in from behind, only to a see a silhouette of a wounded person walking towards him, as they came into sight Naruto was relived/astonished to see who it was, more happy to see him walking than dead as some tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

"Don't look at me with that face, you look like a loser." muttered Sasuke with a smirk as he fell to one of his knees only to pick himself back up again, Naruto smiled at his friend's stubborn attitude and had to hold back the tears of happiness that were beginning to fall from corners of his eyes. "how you are anyway? And what' up with those things back there?" spoke Sasuke referring to the six wooden dragon heads that were jutting from the ground where he previously fought Haku. "and did you-" he was about to question whether or not the masked boy was dead, but he received that answer when he saw said enemy lying on the ground, a hole in his chest and covered in blood, that was all the explanation he needed to know that the boy was dead. Sasuke was aware that even though it seemed as if he died, he like Zabuza before was only put into a death-like state, Haku was never intent on killing him from the start and the Uchiha was confused and relived over this.

Both boys snapped their heads up to see the clash of metal between Kakashi and Zabuza, the latter trembling and exhausted, it was even difficult for him to be standing let alone fighting the Jōnin with what little strength he had left and already that exhaustion was beginning to tear at him as Kakashi had planted two kunai into his left arm, making it all but useless. Pushing his own body into moving, the swordsman tried another swing at the Sharingan wielder only to back-handed by the silver-haired shinobi. Without a care and fighting more like a berserker now more than anything, the former Kiri-nin frantically slashed at Kakashi with his massive cleaver to no avail as the leader of team seven was now standing behind the swordsman.

Kakashi then pulled out two kunai from his holster, intent on stabbing Zabuza in the side but in one last act of defiance in the face of death, Zabuza swung his blade behind him, but Kakashi read the moves and instead stabbed the kunai into Zabuza's only working arm. The result was that the Kiri-nin dropped his blade and his right arm fell limply to his side.

"Now both of your arms are useless, what now, you can't even make hand seals, let alone cast a jutsu." spoke Kakashi as the tapping of a cane grabbed his attention, Yugito and Sakura who were protecting Tazuna quickly moved him away from this new sound while Naruto and Sasuke only grit their teeth at the sight of a hundred or so men, each armed to the teeth with a short man leading them in the front with a noticeably broken arm that was bound in a cast.

"Well, he's certainly made a fine mess out of you Zabuza, such a pity." spoke Gatō with a noticeable smirk, happy how things have turned out on the bridge.

"Gatō. I don't understand what are you doing here?! And who are these thugs you brought with you?" questioned Zabuza a glare marring his features as the short business man.

"Well, you see there's been this slight change of plan. According to the new plan, this is what I had in mind all along and you die right here on this bridge, Zabuza. You must have guessed by now, I never intended to pay you from the beginning, you're too expensive you see, and you can't do your job right of course. It's such a bother hiring skilled shinobi affiliated with one of the most powerful villages in the world. And when I kill them to keep my money, they tend to have powerful friends such as Kage's. That's why I hired you, a renegade a man with nothing to gain, no one cares if you die once the job is done. All of you ninja are always too eager to fight each other. Once you've worn each other down, common thugs can finish the rest it's a great business plan and an efficient one too. My only mistake was hiring you in the first place, called yourself the Kirigakure no Kijin is just false advertising. You're no demon, you're a wet kitten."

"Well Kakashi, it seems our fight is at an end. Since I am no longer in Gatō's employ, Tazuna is safe from me. We have no quarrel." spoke Zabuza with Kakashi nodding in agreement, something which the two male clan heirs took offence too, no matter what, Zabuza and his tool still tried to kill all of them and they couldn't just forget that, especially Sasuke. They later noted Gatō walking up to the corpse of Haku, sneering at the sight of it.

"That reminds me. I have a score to settle with this one. You crushed my arm and broke almost every bone. Now look at you, nothing but carrion, meat." said the short man as he defiled the body of Haku by kicking the dead boy in the face. An act that infuriated the blonde Senju as he clenched his fist in anger while Zabuza's eyes darkened "too bad you're not alive to feel that." without thinking, the genin threw himself towards Gatō seeing only red in his vision as Kakashi restrained him.

"Why won't you do something! He devoted his life to you! You were practically his whole world!" screamed Naruto at the swordsman who remained impassive at this words.

"Shut up you fool, Haku is dead. Get over it." bit back Zabuza, glaring at Naruto through the corner of his eye.

"So you can just stand there and watch him getting treated like a dog! By that fat scumbag! He was your partner! He worked with you for years! Doesn't that mean something to you!"

"You don't understand the way of shinobi. Gatō's been using me as I used Haku, now it's over, I have no obligation to kill you or the bridge-builder. I didn't value Haku for his character only his abilities. I apologise for nothing."

"If you can actually say that with a straight-face, then you are just as bad as Gatō, no even worse!" yelled Naruto with Kakashi trying to make him see reason, that Zabuza wasn't their enemy any more. "after everything he did for you! Everything he sacrificed! He cared about you more than anyone! He was completely devoted to you, unlike anyone! He all but lived for you! You were the most important thing in the world to him! And he meant nothing to you! Do you not even feel the slightest bit of anger within you! Anger over not saying goodbye when it was his time to go! You never felt anything for him! And now you feel nothing while his body is defiled by trash like that short prick!" yelled Naruto, tears pouring through the corners of his eyes. "is that how you get strong?! By becoming a cold-hearted weapon! He threw away his life so he can save yours! And for what, you and your dream! He died without having any of his dreams come true! You never let him have a dream of his own. But he didn't care you were his dream. And you toss him to the side like yesterday's garbage! A broken tool! And because he believed that he failed you, he was willing, to take his own life! For your sake!"

"Please, no more. Your words cut deep." cried Zabuza, his tears staining the bandages around his face as he stared into the clouds. "while he fought you, his heart was breaking in two. Not just for me, but also for you and your friend, that's the truth. He was also soft and kind. He always felt pain and sorrow over what he did, the things he did. And I always knew that he could never take a life without tearing away at his own pain. And now curse him, I feel them too. But I am glad, that his final battle was with you. Even I could see, that in his final moments, he cared for you as he did for me. You changed something in him, and in me. And now, I am more than content with the way things will end between us." spat Zabuza as he tore at the bandages around his mouth with his sharpened, shark-like teeth. "in the end, no matter what or we are or what we do, shinobi are still human... and I've lost everything precious to me. Nothing is worth living for in this life. But if I can do what last thing, it will be this. Give me your kunai." demanded Zabuza as Naruto wiped away his tears before chucking his kunai towards the swordsman who gripped the weapon in his mouth.

The demon of the mist charged at the group of thugs, barrelling right towards his true prey, Gatō, who was cowering behind his little army like a true coward. While many of the hired goons were confident that they could defeat the former Kiri-nin they were still cut down in swathes by the man with nothing but a knife in his maw and no arms that worked and in his shadow, was the spectral face of a demon, laughing at the men, instilling them with fear and dread as a few froze on the spot upon seeing it. Gatō was on the very end of the bridge when he turned back to see the demon charging right at him, spears, swords, arrows whatever weapon could be thrown, all of them were jutting from the ninja's back and the swordsmen stabbed the kunai in his mouth right into Gatō's chest, just missing a vital spot as the business-man coughed up blood.

"Why won't you die!" shouted Gatō as more blood dripped from his mouth. "if you're in such a hurry to join that dead punk, than you're not taking me with you!"

"No, I have no intention of going to the same place... as Haku. I cannot follow him. But you and I Gatō, there's only one place where we both belong, and they are waiting for us! Even a baby can become a real demon when he meets death! And once we're in hell, I figure I'll fit right in and I'll show you just what a demon can do!" roared Zabuza as he decapitated Gatō in one blow, both the body and the head falling into the sea and being washed away by the waves. Poetic justice. He then gave a death-filled glare towards the thugs as he bled out, the sound of spilling liquid becoming all too audible. "Haku! It's goodbye. Not once did I ever thank you. Please forgive me for that..." whispered Zabuza as he eyed the corpse of his apprentice before succumbing to exhaustion and tumbled to the ground. Naruto could only stare, not even considering of insulting Zabuza by turning his head away. Silence reigned over the bridge, not a sound was made by anyone, until, one voice spoke up.

"Don't go getting too comfortable now. This party isn't over yet, who's going to pay us! There's no way we're going to leave here empty handed. Guess we'll just have to ransack the village and see what they got." yelled one of the thugs, rallying the others into attacking causing Naruto to shed his last tear and take a few steps forward much to the surprise of Kakashi.

"Naruto what are you doing? You can't take them on alone." warned Kakashi trying to talk some reason into his most stubborn student only for Sasuke to walk right past the Jōnin sensei with renewed vigour.

"Who said I was alone? Sasuke." retorted Naruto as he settled into a power walk.

"Don't worry, I can keep up, my strength is returning." replied Sasuke as the two genin began to jog towards the group of thugs.

"Good cause I would hate to trip over you." responded Naruto with a smirk as both he and Sasuke delved into a full-sprint towards the group.

"Like hell, I will." spoke Sasuke with a smirk of his own while Naruto went through handseals as the rush at the group.

"**Mokuton: Ryō Chōkyō Sechō!**" roared Naruto as three wooden dragon heads erupted from the ground while Sasuke activated his incomplete Sharingan sending forth kunai and shuriken to mow down the group of enemies. The three dragons heads were smaller than the ones Naruto used against Haku earlier, most likely because of the fox wasn't augmenting his jutsu but the technique was still powerful enough to tear through enemies either, crushing their bones in wooden jaws or tearing their limbs apart. Kakashi almost lost his mind upon seeing the technique, it was inconceivable! Utterly shocking to see the famed Kekkei Genkai of the Shodaime Hokage in the form of his great-grandson. The flabbergasted expression Kakashi was wearing was also quite confusing before his features fell into a worried stare as he watched his two students engage with the band of thugs with taijutsu even using the trunks of the dragons as footholds as they jumped around the bridge.

Many of the hoodlums fell to the far superior genin with single blows and cuts from their kunai. Sasuke even used his clan's signature technique to set fire to the wooden dragons but it didn't outright burn the wood, in fact, it even enhanced the power of the jutsu as now the dragons were spreading the blaze as some of the men burned to death. Kakashi could only theorise that seeing and dealing out death had desensitised the genin as they casually killed whoever attacked them. It was the only way that the boys were able to even do it, taking life itself was not easy, even for the most experienced of genin but these two were dancing around the field with ease. Sasuke blazed through handseals for another fireball with Naruto doing so as well for one of his newly discovered jutsu.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu/Kinton: Ryūsandan Iki!**" as the two roared spewing forth fire and metal hail from their mouths, the two even combined their jutsu into an even more powerful version, with the metal intermingling with the flames, killing many instantly that were caught in its path with cauterising steel. The sensei of team seven, however, was liable to feint at this very moment. Naruto possessed a second kekkei genkai. Metal Release. Throughout his years as a shinobi, Kakashi had never once heard mention of a kekkei genkai such as this, he had heard of Steel and Magnet release but those only controlled metal to a certain point, Naruto's Metal release seemed far more advance, more powerful, as if it could not only create metal but control it as well. But Kakashi's unease over this situation was growing by the second, now that Naruto had not one, but two Kekkei Genkai, the target on his back only grew in size, villages would kill for a new kekkei genkai, and now that Naruto had two, they might as well go to war. Kakashi knew that he must act fast if word of this must remain contained.

When the fighting was done and Naruto and Sasuke were victorious did a crowd comprising the entire country arrive on the bridge, although all of them were slightly dumbfounded over the fact that every one of them was late, except for Inari as he stared in admiration of the Senju heir and all the things he's done for the country. But rather then be sour that they didn't arrive on time, all the people gathered there celebrated at the land of Waves finally being free from tyranny. Kakashi didn't take part in the festivities as he approached the still body of Zabuza who was hanging onto his life by a thread.

"Sounds like it's over." stated Zabuza which Kakashi gave a curt 'yeah' as the swordsman was too wounded to even stand. "Kakashi, I know that I am unworthy to ask this of you. But I beg you, grant me this one final blessing. I want... to see his face." pleaded Zabuza as the Jōnin sensei pulled down his hitai-ate to cover his Sharingan. Thus did the Konoha ninja yank out all of the weapons from Zabuza's body before carrying him over to the body of Haku just as it began to snow, in the middle of summer. The swordsman took this as a sign that Haku was weeping, shedding tears for him from the other side, it was at least a small comfort for the swrodsman as he stared into the sky. The shinobi was laid next to the body of his apprentice, his face soft and gentle, like the first time he laid eyes upon him. "you were always at my side. Now, I will be at yours, in the end." whispered Zabuza as he mustered all the strength left in his form to touch the cheek of the one who was most precious to him. "I know it cannot be. But I wish to go where you have gone. On the other side." muttered Zabuza as tears fell from his eyes. "I wish that we could be together, forever." and as he spoke, a single snowflake fell from the sky and landed on the corner of Haku's closed eyes, before melting the heat of his body and into a tear.

"His spirit was as pure as the snow. You are wrong Zabuza, you will join him after all in that place, together" spoke Kakashi as the the snow, never stopped, not for three whole days, it would fall from the sky as feathers in the wind. And for those who bore witness to such a beauty and the sorrow it carried with it. They would never forget this day. The day where hope never wilted like a flower in the coming of autumn.

* * *

On this day, the dragon and the tiger stood against the storm and melted the ice around the demon's heart, redeeming him and freeing the land from the tyrant that held it, restoring courage to those who had lost it, but both mourned the passing of the Yuki-onna, who died in service of the demon, saving the lives of the countless many faces that would be born and the land wept in sorrow over the spirit's passing.

* * *

**2 weeks later**

They all stood before the graves of their enemies, now one wouldn't normally find such people at their own funerals, but this team was special. They had found kinship with these two shinobi who they met as foe, but in the end, became friend. They were overcome with a bitter-sweet feeling, their mission was over and now they had to return to their village.

"A shinobi shouldn't question or be concerned with the reason of their existence. It is important that we merely exist as tools of the village to use in whatever way. It is true for everywhere else." spoke Kakashi as he stared at the massive and famed sword of Zabuza.

"That doesn't mean we have to like it." spat Naruto, his face sullen and downcast as he stood before the grave of his friend, Haku.

"Do you really think that way sensei?" queried Sasuke as he stood before Zabuza's grave with the same feelings and emotions like his best-friend.

"...No. And that's why all of us who called ourselves shinobi will live our lives with the ideal always bubbling beneath the surface of our minds, disturbing us as it did Zabuza and Haku."

"I'm not some tool to be used and discarded. I have the choice to shape my own destiny, no matter if it's fated or not, I will follow my own path. My Nindō, a path that is straight and true, without regrets." spoke the Senju heir to which Kakashi eye-smiled.

* * *

Now they stood before the completed bridge, stretching from the Land of waves to the main continent, a bag full of supplies which Tsunami was more than happy to give to the shinobi that changed her land. A small goodbye gathering was held in their honour and to see them off. Thanking them for what they had done to the country. And for their service, especially Naruto's for restoring hope to the people, the bridge was named in his honour and Tazuna and his family had little doubt that the bridge would become world famous, just like that boy would one day be. The bridge like the shinobi it was named after will stand strong and proud against the test of time.

**Wow, emotional, A fight that has shaped our hero as he now sets out to become a shinobi. Now I wanted to introduce mokuton and kinton in this chapter as well as setting up the implications in the next chapter of his newly discovered kekkei genkai. now the nect chapter will be a sort of reaction chapter to all that has gone on which will then lead into the chunin exams arc. one of my personal favourites.**

**Now as for the Harem, I have decided on our eighth lovely lady. The fully harem is**

**Sakura**

**Yugito**

**Hanabi**

**Hinata**

**Mabui**

**Temari**

**Kurenai**

**Mei Terumi (mizukage) **

**That's it from me**

**Juubiwriter99 is down and out. **


End file.
